Just moments
by katnipsc
Summary: Random unseen moments from the Vampire Academy universe, ranging from the happiest and the funniest, to the saddest .To read more of our beloved characters.
1. Smile please

"You're late! " He stated.

His words were all that expressed his disappointment, his face hardly betraying. Not that it bothered him much, for he really had worked hard to maintain his facade.

" Only by five minutes. " She countered casually .

Her sass and carefree attitude were on display, it wasn't really a big deal for her. Not yet.

Rose-badass-Hathaway never minded being late, unless her best friend, Lissa or, donuts were concerned.

" So comrade, what do we have for today ? " She asked jovially, hoping that he'd mention sparring for once.

The aforementioned ' _comrade_ ' got up from the gym floor to put his book away, it was then that Rose noticed something in his expression, longing, she guessed, but it was gone as soon as it had come.

Dimitri was exceptionally good at maintaining his guardian mask, he always appeared to be emotionless, a blank slate.

Rose, was his to-be guarding partner for Lissa and currently he was mentoring her, to help her catch up with all the training that she had missed.

Their training had been going on for a little over two weeks now, and not once had Rose seen him lower his guard.

Him rolling his eyes at her antiques were the only indication that he heard her. And even those were occasional occurances.

It was all that he ever expressed.

Rose even knew very little about him, it could be summed up in a line:

Dimitri Belikov, Lissa's official guardian, from Russia, was solely interested in his duty, training and his books

"We will begin with laps. "He answered breaking her reverie.

She hoped to see a bit of irritation or unwillingness on his part, since she knew that he had already completed his training for the morning and was simply going through motions to accompany her, but, yet again he surprised her, appearing calm and patient as ever. Not a trace of the negative emotions that Rose had been expecting from him.

When done with all of the laps, she finally gathered her courage, caught up with Dimitri and questioned ,

"Comrade, how come your mask never slips?"

Dimitri had first been hesitant about opening up about his past to the curious girl standing in front of him.

He knew all about her, pranks, past, present and all, but he hardly knew her, yet the seriousness and curiosity evident in her words caused him to tell her about his strict mentor Galina and her rigorous training, he mentioned about all that she had taught him, be it the values or importance of his duty, besides helping him master contol over his expressions .

And it was after this that he realized that it was way too easy to talk to her. He could almost find himself relieved after having opened up to her. Something about her non-judgemental attitude set him at ease and calmed him.

"You can be your self around me, can't you?" Rose commented, after having received her answer.

The genuineness of her care towards him, left a positive impact on his mind, she was aware of nothing but the very base details about him, he was more of a stranger to her than she was to him.

In that moment, truly hoped that he wouldn't have to regret trusting her. After Ivan's death opening up to anyone had been hard for him, but here he was again walking on thin ice, and if she betrayed his trust, he probably wouldn't ever be able to completely trust another soul.

Looking at Dimitris face, Rose noticed something change in his eyes, it appeared as if they had become a shade darker. Without replying Dimitri sped away, he didn't speak a word, until after completing the laps.

"Here. " He said handing her a bottle of water as they sat down on the benches beside the tracks.

She was wondering if she had offended him, hearing from him again, she was glad, but continued to mask her relief by putting on her tone of false bravado.

"What's next? " She asked, once again hoping that he would mention about sparring.

"Weights",He replied, to her great disappointment.

"Not Again! Why not spar? " She whined, her puppy dog eyes on display, trying to convince her mentor, but to no avail.

"You need to build up your strength and stamina, off you go." He stated before moving on to continue with his own training.

While she was left with no other option, than to carry out his instructions, for his words and actions had left no opportunities for further discussions.

 **RPOV**

I had only completed my weights and was heading towards my gym bag when, I instinctively ducked, only to notice that I had just saved myself from being punched by Dimitri, his attacks continued, another punch, a jab,a kick, a combination of swift triple punches followed by an uppercut, two successive kicks, on and on he continued.

He was giving me a hard time, defending myself, I was looking for a chink in his armour, an opening to attack , but with no luck. He was completely on the attack mode and I , on the defence, fairly holding my own for quite a while despite the fact that my hits didn't even seem to waver him, he remained unfazed.

It was when I noticed a slight curl of his lips, the ghost of a smile forming on his face, something resembling pride, in his eyes, a moment of distraction that he pinned me down, a smile appeared and disappeared at the same moment. That damned guardian mask of his !

' _He looks adorable with that killer smile of his.'_ Supplied my mindnot helping my current situation .

Seizing the golden opportunity, I quipped,

"Was that a smile comrade? Or my imagination?

You should smile more often, it suits you." I offered speaking my mind.

He didn't reply just stared at me for a second, before getting up and heading for his gym bag.

I followed him and asked, "So how did I do today?"

Willing to coax a reply or probably a word or two from him.He had been quiet for a long time now , making me wonder if it was healthy to lock all emotions inside, all the time?

"You have improved but you still need to work on your technique. "

It was all he said before resuming his job, I nodded considering his words, but his words were too limited and tone too clipped, I wanted to hear more, so I continued, "Is that all, nothing more to add?".

"No." He replied, calmly.

"Are you sure?" I enquired and he simply nodded.

"100% kind of sure? firmly sure?",I added , testing his patience.

"What do you mean to say Rose?" He asked turning around, sounding irritated.

Irritation was an emotion, as good as any, I was glad that I had broken through his wall.

' _One for Rose and zero for Dimitri'_ I thought cheerfully.

"Words like good and well done wouldn't be bad you know." I answered cheekily.

"You'll be late for class if you do not hurry", he said in his preachy tone, but something had changed and I could almost sense it.

With an exaggerately frustrated and exasperated sigh I turned around and headed for the shower only to remember that I had forgotten my gym bag on the floor on the other side of the gym, thus turned around just in time to find Dimitri standing at the same place staring at the ground with a big smile gracing his features.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Here goes the first chapter,if you liked it ,please let me know,constructive criticism and suggestion are welcomed.

Note: all the characters belong to Richelle Mead.

Have a great time.

-Katnipsc:)


	2. Sneaking

RPOV

"The scream kind of gave you away try not to yell the next time",he said.

It was so frustrating that Dimitri could sneak up on me, but I couldn't. Plotting to ambush him I headed towards the showers.

My first class was with Stan, when the class was about to begin when I felt his presence and on turning, found him standing near the entrance which meant that he would patrol the corridor while the classes went on.

My imaginary self started parkouring around the place. There was my chance for revenge.

I really didn't have to work too hard since Stan threw me out of the class for starting at him for too long. That guy actually had some serious grudges against me.

When outside I noticed that I was correct , the giant Russian was on guard patrolling the corridor. He went past me as if he hadn't even noticed me and man! that infuriated me.

 _'Comrade you're in trouble! '_ I thought.

Waiting until he turned towards the corner heading for the staircase. I tiptoed behind him to carry out my plan.

 _ **DPOV**_

I was scheduled to patrol the corridors of the classes until lunch today. Rose was on my mind, as she lately had been. Her unsuccessful attempt to sneak up on me only amused me whenever I remembered her yelling.

Taking my position, by the entrance of the classroom , I saw her head snap up as if on instinct, as she stared my way.

Later, while patrolling I found her punished outside Guardian Alto's class.

Reminding myself that I was on duty, I walked past her pretending to ignore her presence.

Suppressing an urge to talk to Rose I continued patrolling until I saw a faint shadow, near the staircase, the movement had caught my eye and I proceeded towards the staircase case, wondering if the students were already setting up pranks for the approaching prank week.

On turning at the corner I found Guardian Milton sitting on the staircase and having an apple. He informed me that he had just been relieved from his duty and was so hungry that he decided to eat first before heading for his next shift.

I was still in conversation with him when his facial expressions changed, morphing from relaxed to surprised, the act was enough of an alert as I ducked and blocked a side kick.

I didn't need to know who it was. Rose was trying to sneak up on me but had failed yet again, and I could hear her frustrated growl from the moment I had countered her attacks, she was furious as soon as a pinned her on the floor but I had to work hard, she always tested my limits.

Looking up I found Garden Milton staring at us dumbfounded, and on the other end of the corridor stood two other Guardians, Guardian Petrov and Guardian Johnson, both sharing a look of plain confusion which was soon replaced by amusement.

Before anyone could question anything I informed them that Rose and I kept up sneaking upon each other to keep each other on our toes, a test for awareness and the ability to act under sudden unforeseen events, a part of the training.

No one questioned my seriousness, Rose's nonchalant comment stating that she had to avenge herself for me defeating her, cleared any and all doubts.

Soon, we returned to our duties but the mischievous glint in Rose's eyes said that I wasn't off the hook, instead I guessed that I was in greater trouble.


	3. Out of donuts!

' _Beep! Beep! Beep!'... ' Thump! '._

Swatting out the source of disturbance I turned, putting the pillow on my head to savour some more of my precious sleep.

 _'Bing! Bing!' ,_ began the other alarm.

Trying to shut it I remembered that I had placed it on my desk, out of my reach.

It was Dimitri's idea to help me get up on time and it worked. Getting up unwillingly I made my way towards the gym.

As always, Dimitri was there waiting for me.

"Rose you're late again",he said sounding almost exasperated .

" I arrived five minutes earlier than yesterday, you should be happy with the progress comrade, be optimistic ", I replied applying the Rose Hathaway logic.

Sighing, he drank some water and headed towards the tracks. He was awfully quiet during the laps and this quietness creeped me, so I began, " What else do we have on agenda today? "

" We will continue with workouts, then we'll spar", he finished.

" Yes! Yes! Yes!... yeah! "I exclaimed and sped away to compete the laps early .

I guess, Dimitri was slightly amused at my antics.

An hour and half later I found myself losing to Dimitri, he had pinned me three times, now four, out of 5 and the one that I had won, was only because Dimitri was distracted by his sneeze.

"That's all for today Rose, see you in the evening ", he said, adding that I had to hurry as I was late for the breakfast.

It wasn't until he mentioned it, that I felt ravenously hungry and thus rushed to get changed and ready .

On reaching the canteen, to my great disappointment, I found that all the doughnuts were gone and Lisa's sat eating the last one.

Down plunged my mood into the dark abyss of gloom, snatching an apple from the fruit basket I headed towards the first class. The apple could not satiate my hunger and the boring theory classes only added to my frustration. It peaked during Stan's class,

"... you should cooperate with your fellow guardians in these situations thus ensuring the safety of your charge, because... "

" They come first and it hardly matters if we are dead. "I interrupted loudly, finishing Stan's speech.

The class remained deadly quiet as Stan banged on the desk with his hands and shouted furiously, "Out of the class Hathaway.

It appears that you are least interested in the lecture and very impatient to move outside, you just might do so and, congratulations you have earned yourself two weekends of community service! ".

I had thought that the day could get no worse, but boy I was wrong.

It was during the lunch, taking all that I had to eat (and it did not include donuts for again there were none) I sat on our usual table, when Lissa asked, " Rose what's wrong, I see that you have been cranky all morning. Anything I can help you with? "

A frown graced her features

 _'Yes. You and Christian can stop making out at odd hours of the day, and you probably should weild less of your spirit.'_ I thought sarcastically.

The darkness was a constant presence these days almost tangible and I had to take more of it from Lissa throughout the day, since she practiced every day to perfect her control over the element.

" Nope, nothings wrong" I replied, masking my emotions .

"Rose, I can almost feel that something is wrong. Please let me help, tell me what happened, I can understand and help you sort it out. "

Hearing her speak, my control snapped and I shouted at her.

" No you can't! And you never do! You just don't understand ".

She stared at me for a while before tears filled her eyes, then the rage was evident on her face, as she haughtily continued, "Yes, I don't and I really shouldn't bother with it. It's none of my business".

With an icy cold politeness, she began ignoring me, which did nothing to help with my temper, dumping all my lunch in the garbage bin, I left the canteen, fuming and ready for my next class, Combating techniques .

Mason and Eddie had each pinned me twice, in the one to one combat session while I had only managed to defeat Mason once.

By the time the classes of the day came to an end, I was frustrated, angry, sad, tired, confused, disappointed, hated and greatly hungry.The vortex of emotions.

I headed towards the gym for my evening lessons with Dimitri and miraculously, I found the gym empty. Assuming that I had beaten Dimitri at his game, I headed towards the lockers room to get changed, only to find Dimitri sitting on the bench outside the boys locker room, reading his novel, dressed in his workout clothes.

That was enough, I was done with it, all my hope and joy was gone, as gloom shrouded my consciousness and rage bubbled within.

I changed and continued on my daily workout schedule, Dimitri noticed my presence,

"Rose we will... " He was saying as I rushed passed, ignoring him completely, I heard him calling out for me but didn't stop.

" Rose, would you please listen to me? "

" Rose... Rose?

" Rose, what's wrong? "

" Rose? Roza? " His words faded as I continued my laps, glad that he had decided not to follow me.

While staking I realised that, I was practicing with a power, I never knew I possessed, as if all frustration, anger and disappointment had been poured into it and it felt good to give in to it, I lost the track of time as I continued to assault the dummies with my repeated attacks.

It was when someone tried to stop me that I lashed out at them , only to be restrained by strong arms, I attacked and they defended.

"HOW DARE YOU?... How dare you stop me?... Why are you stopping me... from practicing?... I need to become... the best guardian for Lissa ... How dare you... interfere with my practice? "

I said between attacks. He pinned me to the wall and forced me to look into his eyes, the chocolate brown orbs held something resembling panic, worry or fear, I tried to guess .

" Snap out of it, this is not you Roza", he said calmly.

Dragging me to a bench he made me sit down and handed me a small paper bag.

Opening it I found two chocolate glazed donuts in it. All my anger and frustration seemed to vanish at the sight of the sweet treats. Tears filled my eyes and delighted as I was , I wrapped Dimitri in a bear hug which caught him by surprise, as he stiffened, but soon relaxed and pulled away, urging me to eat. He handed be a bottle of water and sat watching me eat, beaming with joy.

"What? "I asked.

He only said," It's good to see you back. "

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

A shout out to PNR-guilty-pleasure, for being the first reviewer.

A big thanks to :

PNR-guilty-pleasure, Swimming the Same Deep Waters,Gigi256, lovesmesomedanilalol,Lea0014, Book. Wretched, beata5645 for reviewing, encouraging and suggesting ways in which the writing can be made better.

A warm hug and lots of love to Gigi256 for her amazing guidance, I heartily appreciate your efforts.

I thank the Guest, who reviewed, for stopping by and sharing their opinion, I appreciate it andwould try put your words into action.

Last but not the least, three cheers for all who have faved, followed, reviewed and thus encouraged me to write.

Have a great time!

Happy Birthday Friend


	4. Happy Birthday Friend!

He did not want to go back, had it not been Alberta's direct orders, he would have continued to be on duty.

For the past forty-eight hours he had taken the longest of shifts and had endulged in duty without a break. From patrolling the wards, to guarding classes and volunteering to assist in combat classes and running errands, he had done it all just to avoid this.

Now, as he was headed towards his dorm, the loneliness came crashing down, reminding him of his beloved memories, those, that had once been cherished by him, now were the cause of his sorrow. The gloom shrouded his thoughts.

Having trained to go without sleep for seventy-two hours was to enhance is ability and capability as a Guardian , but in times like these he wished that exhaustion take over him and the sleep claim him, but no such luck. He was on the edge and his anxiety didn't let him sleep.He could get wasted,or even drunk, all thanks to his Russian roots, that helped him hold his liquor far better than others. No relief.

He entered his room, switched on the light, draped his duster on the back of his chair and headed towards the bathroom.

On returning, he settled on his bed and let it all flow back once more. He had been trying hard to avoid thinking about him, but now gave in. It was Ivan's twenty-fifth birthday and he was missing him dearly.

Dimitri had never thought that he would ever loose Ivan. Ivan was like a brother that he never had, only one apart from this family who knew him too well and had been a major part of his life, a constant, past all hardships.

They had been best friends,who knew each others deepest secrets, yet, respected each other immensly.

They had grown up helping and encouraging each other at various stages of their lives.

The fondest of their memories caused Dimitri's eyes to glisten with unshed tears.

Dimitri had been the one to set up Ivan's first date with Diana, the girl Ivan had had a crush on since their childhood.

" _Don't be a fool now Ivan, you know I really had to work very hard to put you two together, so don't waste my efforts, and go enjoy the evening that you've waited for so long. "_

Dimitri had said pushing a grinning Ivan towards the entrance of the hotel, where he and Diana were to date.

Dimitri had rescued Ivan from an obsessed Tasha who believed that Ivan loved her.

Numerous times had he helped Ivan pass in Russian and some other theory papers, afterall he had been the one to convince Ivan to persue University education in his beloved subject of Literature.

Whereas, Ivan had never backed out from helping his dear friend.

He had been the one to encourage Dimitri to learn cooking when he had noticed that his friend was not only interested but also good at it and Ivan even had been backed by Olena in the matter.

" _Dimka these Blinis are delicious ,thank Olena for this wonderful cooking of hers"_

 _"But I made them. "_

 _" I can hardly believe that, what proof do you have ? "_ He had teased.

Olena had later confirmed that they were indeed Dimitri's , listening to which Ivan had commented, snickering.

 _"I guess, mate you should continue learning more about the culinary art, it will be useful the day this Earth-lover finds his beloved flower"._

Ivan's pet name for Dimitri, was "Earth-lover" , while Dimitri called him " God's gift" both referring to the actual meaning of the others name.

Ivan been the one to gift Dimitri a western novel on his "13th birthday" thus, introducing him to his-soon-to-be-addiction and fascination.

Dimitri had wanted to be a Guardian ever since he could remember , but Ivan and his family were his true motivation, the urge to protect them and his very own family , had been the reason behind him being the fiercely excellent Guardian that he was.

When Dimitri had officially become Ivan's guardian, Ivan had said, " _Dimka we are still equals and great friends, but I want to let you know that when you, the best man at my wedding , marry I'll gift your wife the CD containing the epic game of truth and dare, played with a drunk Dimitri. "_

Till this day, Dimitri had never doubted the sincerity in his friend's words.

On graduation day, Dimitri had been gifted a silver charm that thanked him for his friendship and congratulated him on becoming a Guardian.

While , in return, Dimitri had promised to protect him at all costs, to the very best of his abilities.

A promise that he had failed to keep, and regretted the most . He had always blamed himself for Ivan's death.

How dearly Dimitri wished to go back and prevent the mishap! How he wished to have stayed over at Ivan's suite at the resort that night!

" _Dimitri, mate you have been on guard since yesterday night. Please go back and get some rest, at least a while. I promise, I'll call you if I feel weird!_

 _After all there are three other Guardians on shift, along with the several guarding the resort and even the building is warded._

 _I will be fine Dimka , please go and rest "._

Ivan had insisted stating his request quite logically in a way he knew Dimitri couldn't counter, as a result of which Dimitri had unwillingly accede to his request.

He had been out, running some last minute errands to upgrade security for the trip later that night, when he was informed about the Strigoi attack on the resort.

Dimitri reaching Ivan and killed the Strigoi feeding from him, only told find his beloved friend on the brink of death.

" _Sorry mate, I have been foolish today._ "

He had croaked, as Dimitri had held him in his arms telling him that he would be fine.

 _" Get that damn Guardian mask off your face, I'm talking to my friend",_ he had scolded, before adding, _"this is not it Dimka, it's not the end. Promise me, that you won't give up on life ,or your Guardianship, you won't close yourself off , you've got to find your flower. Promise me that you will move on. Promise me."_

 _"Please don't go to sleep on me, Ivan"._ He had begged.

" _Promise me, I need your word for it."_ , Ivan had insisted.

" _I promise_ ",Dimitri had replied, caving in.

" _I'll keep an eye on you_ ", Ivan had said, smiling despite the pain, before the light had faded his eyes.

Dimitri remember the moments clear as the day, a gaping would that probably wouldn't ever heal.

He remembered having been the one to inform Diana of Ivan's death and how broken she had appeared on receiving the news.

A tear crept it's way out of his eyes and the damn finally broke, the Russian cried, accompanied only by the saddest of his memories and loneliness.

As the clock struck twelve Dimitri got up from his bed, wiped the tears off his face, and headed towards his closet. On returning, he had a small wrapped box in his hand, he sat on the ground beside the desk, on which was kept a framed photograph of Ivan, fiddling with the charm that the moroi had once gifted him.

"Hey Ivan, Happy 25th birthday buddy. I hope you are well. Here".He said placing the small box in front of the photograph.

"This is for you. We miss you so very much dude ! "

The box contained a tie, since Ivan had loved collecting them and once had a variety of them in his closet , knowing which Dimitri had been gifting Ivan atleast one tie on his Birthday for that past seven years and this was the first time Ivan wasn't there to reply to his greetings.

He lay down on his bed, thinking of his jovial, free spirited brother and let the tears flow unrestricted until sleep finally claimed him lessening his agony.


	5. Stolen Western!

R POV

I was surprised to see that it was only 5pm (pm according to the human schedule) and I was up, feeling fully rested and energized .

' _Someone else is going to be shocked today.'_ supplied my mind wickedly

Getting up from under the covers , I got ready and headed towards the gym, grinning at the thought that probably I would beat Dimitri at his own game today.

I was outside the gym when I heard a soft chuckle, peeking in, I found Dimitri sitting on the floor with the book on his lap, it was none other than him, who was chuckling.

And boy, now I know why they called the Russian a god. His smile was charismatic and infectious.

I stood admiring and enjoying the enticing view, from behind the door.

Later when I entered the gym, Dimitri looked up from his novel, with the disappointment written clearly on his face.

"A delay of fifteen minutes is what you will have to make up for Rose".He said.

I had lost a track of time, admiring the Adonis, only to realize that I had been there staring at him for a little over half an hour.

"Some interesting and likable stuff got in the way, comrade". I offered in my defense and smiled thinking, if he only knew what it truly meant.

Sighing he took a sip from his waterbottle and headed towards the running tracks.

An hour and a half later, I lay on the gym floor catching my breathe. Dimitri had made me practice staking and shown me some new moves for hand to hand combat which we had worked on constantly for the past hour, as a result of which, now my hands hurt like hell.

"I don't think I will even be able to lift a pencil for the next 3-5 days , comrade".I said.

"As far as I knew, you had community services to participate in, for this weekend and next. "He reminded.

" Oh no! "I whined, he smiled.

" Are you smiling at my misery comrade? ",I asked, feigning anger, for all of my irritation had faded simply seeing him smile.

" No Rose, I am thinking that though you would not be able to lift a pencil, you just might have to spend a little more than half of your day, lifting heavy boxes full of books, since I remember Guardian Petrov mentioning that some new books had been brought in to add to the collection of the library. " He said, before leaving to shower after the intense two hour workout.

Groaning, I got up from the floor to get some water, when I noticed a something kept beside Dimitri's bag, it was a worn leather backed novel, probably the one that he had been reading early this morning.

 _'What is so interesting in these that he keeps on reading and re-reading one of these or the other? Why is it that he prefers to spend most of his free time reading?'_ I wondered , then decided, _'Let not the curiosity kill the cat. Why not give these westerns a chance to impress me?'_

I took the book, kept it in my bag and moved on to continue with the days activities.

 _ ***three days later ***_

" Hey Rose, have you heard about the book?", Eddie asked .

"Nope. Why? "I asked innocently.

" The Russian has lost one of his beloved books, and is all over the place looking for it. "

Eddie informed.

" O".Was my only reply.

Eddie's words reminded me that the currently wanted western was in the concealed chain of my backpack.

Bidding Eddie farewell, I headed towards my room to rest before going to the evening practice sessions with Dimitri.

As I lay on the bed I recalled the events of the few past days.

 _ ***flashback begins***_

"...you should be well acquainted with the situation and keep and eye on your surrounding, to ensure... "

Stan drawled on. _' This is insanely boring and I would not be surprised if Stan could kill strigois only by lecturing them',_ I was thinking, when I was reminded of the book in my bag.

" Anything to make it out alive of this class",

I mumbled under my breath, eyeing the worn novel, before proceeding to read it, my last resort.

 ***half an hour later ***

"Not so bad, he is witty, hmmmmm. "

 _ ***two hours later***_

" this is literally so funny! I am loving this."

 _ ***three hours later ***_

"yes! Yes!... You so deserve to die... I am so hungry... O! I missed the lunch!... Let it be I wanna know what happens next. "

 _ ***five hours later***_

" No! this cannot happen! It so cannot happen!... How? Why?,... Just some more. "

 _ ***eight hours later***_

" Wow! This is epic! Fantastic! There you go... I need to get some dinner... I'm hungry... Na! Lets read some more, half an hour probably... Hmmmm. "

 _ ***ten hours later***_

" I can't believe that it's over. It was great!

Let's read it again ... Hmmm.. Yes! "

 _ ***flashbacks ends ***_

I loved the story, so much that I had already read it twice and was halfway through it, for the third time, but not once did I regret, nor did I feel like returning the borrowed-without-asking book.

DPOV

Standing guard in the junior novice class, with nothing to do, I wondered, where my western went.

I was careful and particular about my things, thus seldom misplaced or lost them(hair ties were a great exception to it) , in case of books, such a circumstance was new to me, moreover, it had been mama's present to me on becoming a Guardian and I was ashamed of having lost it.

Thinking that I had dropped it somewhere,

I had desperately been looking for it, thus had searched all nooks and corners of the gym, corridor, classes, Guardian headquarters, shower stalls, running tracks, store room, dorms and even patrolled the wards looking for the book but to no avail.

"Guardian Milton, by any chance have you noticed a book lying around the Guardian office? "

" Guardian Petrov, has any book recently been submitted in your lost and never found stash(yes, that was the collective name for the things that had been lost by the students of the Academy and had never been reclaimed,they were kept under lock and key by Alberta, who put it in use only to help the novices in need)?

I had asked most of the staff members about any miscellaneous book, and they had all answered in the negative, even Mrs Smith, the caretaker of the library had said that she hadn't noticed any extra book in the pile of new ones.

My constant inquiry had caused the entire academy to be aware of the situation.

Thinking that someone had stolen it appeared out of place, since none of the novices were particularly bookish while apart from Guardian McCallum , who was a fan of the young adult genre, none of the Guardians were too keen on reading,thus stealing of a book, let alone a western was completely out of question.

Nor could it be a prank since, none of the novices wanted to get to my bad side, it could not have been taken from my room since it was securely locked. It was impossible to take it directly from me or from my duster, in the pocket of which it was generally contained.

It appeared as if the book had simply vanished from the face of Earth or rather had completely stopped existing in a physical form.

Coaxing myself to concentrate on my duty, I put all my thoughts aside looking, around for any possible threats, but none appeared.

It was my last shift of the day thus when the bell rang signalling the end of the days classes, I headed towards the office, to sign myself off duty, for today.

Following which I headed towards the gym for my evening practice sessions with Rose, thinking _, 'I guess I'll do another sweep of the gym, looking for the book once again.'_

"Evening comrade",

Rose greeted me upon entering the gym,breaking me out of my reverie.

Later that evening I had, completed my set of pull ups, while Rose was still working on weights and so I decided to take a sip of water, before continuing the practice.

I sat on bench at the back of the gym , drinking water, when something familiar caught my eye, it had a faded brown cover, my novel, I realized. Partly concealed by a chain in Roza's bag.

' _Why would Rose take it?... Did she read it? Did she like it? ",_ I wondered.

I took the book out to confirm that it indeed was my book, then placed it back in her backpack and went back to the gym, smiling, and thinking, _' if she likes it, she can have it._ Since I have Rose's necklace, it's only fair for her to have my book.'

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

A shoutout to TiA995 for the amazing reviews. They make my day alot better.

Until the next time, have a great day!


	6. Happy Birthday Rose!

"Novice Ashford, may I know what had you been doing out of your room after the curfew",Guardian Jones questioned .

He had caught Mason, hiding in the shadow of a pillar, outside the female damphir dormitory, when he was on patrolling duty that night , and , he had even called the dorm matron, to discuss the matter.

After a long speech on behavior and the need to abide by the rules , Mason had been allowed to return to his dorm and was warned that if, it ever happened again, the consequences would be severe.

 _'Wow! That was easy, glad they didn't report me to Kirova.'_ He had thought, and sighed in relief.

 _'I can't believe that they let me off the hook so easily. '_ He had wondered, as he pretended to return to his room and instead slipped into the shadows, smiling and making his way towards the common room on the third floor.

" Mission Accomplished. "He had cheered, quietly but, happily.

Masons activities had been a mere distraction to allow Eddie and Rose, escape to the third floor. The Guardians hadn't seemed to suspect him at all and that had only added to his joy.

As soon as he had entered the common room, Eddie greeted him with a hug, saying,"Man! You did a great job there . "

No sooner had Eddie released him from the hug, than someone pounced on him squealing happily, enveloping him in a bear hug, and kissing him delightfully on his cheek.

" You made it ducky,I am so proud of you. " said a happy Rose.

Mason had felt himself blushing fiercely at her words, thus let go and had backed away slowly, while the huge grin on his face had indicated his obvious delight at her words.

" Since we all are here now , let's begin. " interrupted a familiar voice.

" Yup, I wanna see how it all looks. "Said, yet another female voice.

Rose had been wondering what was going on, between her friends, that had not been disclosed to her, and here she was solely trusting their words.

" Hey, Rose, look out for Eddie tonight, after curfew . It's confidential "Mason had whispered that day, cornering her by the lockers, after the second period, before hurrying away.

And then there was Eddie beckoning her to follow him later that very day.

" Rose, here"He had knocked from outside her window to gain her attention.

"It's gonna be fun, we're heading to the third floor common room, hurry! "He had said, looking really excited.

Rose had, now recognized the voices, as that of Lissa and Natalie, respectively.

It was ,Roses 15th birthday that day, and all had gathered to celebrate it. It was Lissa's idea, that had been put into action by Mason and Eddie.

Natalie had tagged along to help distract Rose whenever required, thus they had been successful in keeping Rose in the dark, for a little over a week.

They could not be extravagant in their planning, but were determined to put up a great show for Rose, afterall they were all as good as a family, bent on making it a memorable event for her.

When the lights had been switched on, all their hard work paid off, seeing the surprise, awe and joy evident on the face of their dear friend .

Rose could not believe it had all been done for her, this gesture of her friends had touched her heart and filled her with happiness, thus all she could say was,

"It's wonderful , thank you. "

With the unshed tears, glistening in her eyes.

All the blinds had been drawn to avoid suspicion from the patrolling Guardians, the furniture had been moved aside to create a central place, over which hung a hand-made banner saying.

" _A very very happy birthday Rose!! "._

Clearly Lissa's work, Rose had concluded.

Fairy lights were hung around the room,and she guessed, that her friends had probably gained access to the Christmas stocks, in the storage room.

In the central space, stood a table, decorated by three balloons, and on it was kept something, covered by a paper box.

Eddie lifted it saying,

"we all guessed that it was best, thus this...only for our Birthday girl. "

It was a donut-cake, six donuts had been stacked, in a pyramidal form, and Lissa had lighted a big white candle, beside it on the table.

"Come on Rosie, let's celebrate, it's your birthday!",

Mason said leading her towards the table, soon all gathered around it and softly sang and clapped, when Rose blew out the candle.

As the chorus of " _Happy Birthday to you",_ had faded, allowing silence to reign in,

"Goodness gracious! "Mason had exclaimed.

" For what do I receive this honour? "He had continued, when Rose had offered him a part of a donut, from her substitute cake.

" You should never keep a lady waiting, specially if it's Hathaway and specifically if she is offering you something to eat. "Eddie had replied.

" Because it's your lucky day if Rose Hathaway is sharing her chocolate glazed donuts with you. "Lissa had added and all of them had burst into a laughter.

It was Natalie who commented soon,

" Should not Rose get to see her presents now? We should not keep her waiting anymore. "

Rose was more than happy to go along with all that was said, she could not believe it was all real, but felt grateful for having such caring friends.

" This is my gift to you . A very very happy 15th b'day Rose, "Lissa had said, handing her a small wrapped box, It contained Roses favourite lip gloss.

" Here, this one's from me. "Natalie had said handing Rose a cute beaded bracelet.

" Roses for Rose, from..."Eddie had been saying, when he noticed the angry-rose-glare fixed upon him and stopped .

"Ohhh! what?" He asked confused, presenting Rose with a bunch of neatly gathered Primrose, which Rose suspected had been gathered from the well maintained academy green house.

And it earned him a smack on the head from none other than the Birthday girl.

Mason had been quiet for the while, when Rose reached him, he handed her a small paper pouch, opening it Rose noticed a handmade charm in it.

"I read about it in a book, it's considered to bring luck, thus I made it for you. Happy Birthday Rosie. " He concluded shyly.

" Oh, Mason! This is wonderful, thanks a lot for it. The fact that you have made it, makes it even more valuable, I loved your gift Ducky. " Rose had replied with a big smile, and her words had, delighted Mason.

As the celebration wrapped up, Lissa and Natalie had been accompanied to their dorm rooms.

When it was time to bid the boys a good night, Rose hugged them individually.

" Thanks for the party, it was memorable, I greatly appreciate your efforts Eddie. " She said wishing him good night.

" Oh Mase! "She said, smiling, before hugging him tightly,

" Rose you are choking me. "He joked.

" I loved it, and I am greatful to have such great friends like you, thank you once again, I had never expected anything like it. You all made my day very very special. " Rose replied, wiping a treacherous tears, that had found a way out of her eyes.

She hugged Mason once again and kissed him on his forehead, wishing him goodnight.

The three friends gathered for a group hug, and then headed toward their dorm room.

Alberta, crouched, into the shadows under the table, to avoid being seen.

She had been the sole Guardian on duty on the third floor that day, being the head Guardian had its perks, it was all that she could do to allow Rose to have a Happy Birthday.

She smiled a sad smile, hitting the send button on her phone, sending the images of Roses birthday party, to Janine.


	7. That bad?

RPOV

Today, I had a fight with Lissa.

"Rose, why would you say that? Aren't damphirs meant to protect morois.

It's not really right, for them to give up their duties for an ordinary human life. "Stated Lissa seriously .

" Why? Don't you think, that even damphirs, have the right to choose what they want to do with their lives ?

What's wrong if they want to lead a normal life? "I argued.

"Well they aren't exactly normal humans, they are warriors and fighters meant protect morois, Rose." Lissa reasoned.

"Well Liss, everyone has a right to lead their lives according to their own wishes, and with the decreasing Guardian numbers, isn't it necessary for the morois to learn to defend themselves as well? "I countered.

"But Rose, using magic isn't very useful, it's uncomfortable. When used greatly,it makes us weak and vulnerable, and it might lead to severe injuries." She stated with a huff, clearly annoyed upon my insistance .

Lissa was behaving irrationally, it was a matter worth considering. The use of magic would be uncomfortable to morois, but training could help improve it. It sounded childish, coming from her, when she had witnessed, how harsh damphir life could be, when we were on run.

"What about us Liss?

Damphirs risk their neck all the time to protect morois, without caring about the fact that it might someday lead to their death, isn't it more significant than injuries and weaknesses?

Doesn't their death count? "

I questioned , trying to channel reason to my words, instead of the anger that was raging within .

" Rose, damphirs are meant to serve morois, it's their job, to protect us, we come first, you are well aware of it" She said, pretending as if it were a petty issue.

That was it. I had heard enough and couldn't bear it anymore.

"You make it sound as if damphirs are nothing more than possessions, to morois, Liss. "I said.

" Somewhat precisely, yes"She quipped.

"Really! Then I believe that, you are absolutely naive, because we are living beings with thoughts and conscience, loyal to our duties. We are not robots "I finished, standing up, ready to leave.

" Then, Rose, I believe that you are nothing more than a cold-hearted wretch. " Retorted Lissa icily.

Her words stunned me,and the next second I was leaving the canteen, heart broken at my best friend's words. Never had I believed that I would hear those word come from Lissa, after all we were more than best friends, we were like sisters.

We had overcome several hardships together. I had risked my life to save hers, I had given up on my life to care for hers and she expressed her gratitude using such harsh words.

 _'A cold-hearted wretch .'_

Annoyance flooded me, which soon turned to anger, anger turned into melancholy, melancholy led to loneliness and, loneliness led to overthinking.

' _A cold-hearted wretch .'_

It was then, the realization dawned upon me, that Lissa was probably right, I had seen Mason die in front of my eyes and did nothing to save him. It was because of me that he was dead.

 _'A cold-hearted wretch .'_

It was probably the very reason for which Dimitri could not bring himself to love me, because I was cold hearted, an unfeeling wretch.

The sorrow now replaced by self loathing.

When the working hours came to an end I headed towards my room, but sleep never came to my rescue, I did not feel like eating and missed the dinner.

Later that night, deciding to train, I went to the gym and was glad to find it empty, no one usually trained that early .

Changing into my workout clothes, I proceeded to the indoor tracks, running often helped me clear my mind but today it didn't help with my numbness.

I was feeling every thing and yet nothing.

I spent a lot of time stretching, punching and kicking the punching bags and staking dummies. By the time I was finished, my hands were sticky with drying blood, my blood . I had forgotten to put on the gloves, but somehow did not feel the pain.

My brain was still clouded, so kicking off my shoes, I sat down on the floor, leaned against the wall and stared at the empty place in front of me, unable to truly decide what to do next.

' _Am I really so bad, that Lissa hates me? '_

' _Had I been braver, Mason would have been alive, wasn't I the cause of his death? '_

' _Had it not been for me, mom could have had a much better life. '_

' _Wasn't it for me that Dimitri would never have a family? '_

I thought, all problems and I was their sole source.

' _All had sacrificed so much for me, but I never acknowledged their efforts. I had been too selfish to care for others. '_

Thus, I came to the conclusion that everyone was probably right to hate me. I deserved it. I was awful.

' _A cold-hearted wretch'_

Her words echoing loud and clear in my head.

Picking up my belongings, I stuffed them in my duffel bag and was about to return to my room, when I saw Dimitri standing beside the door of the gym, staring at me.

"Rose, what is wrong? "He asked, apparently worried.

" Nothing, I am fine. Thanks for asking. "I replied neutrally, trying to sidetrack him as I proceeded towards my room.

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the gym. Taking my duffel bag, he placed it beside the weights and made me sit on the mats, elegantly guiding his large form into a sitting position on the floor, directly in front of me.

"Rose, you can talk to me about anything, you know that, right? "He asked.

" But everything is fine, why bother you unnecessarily? "I replied.

" I can see that you are in pain. Please Rose, don't shut me out. "He pleaded.

" What makes you say or think so?"I asked.

"Your hands are bruised and bloodied, you have slight bags under your eyes, you missed the training this evening, you missed the dinner and for the past three hours you have been beating yourself up physically as well as mentally.

Isn't that proof enough of your distress? "He concluded.

" I don't deserve it, I'm not worth it. "I said.

" What Rose?What do you not deserve? "He asked, his eyes frantically looking around, probably searching for a threat, he appeared so confused.

" Any of this friendship, love and care. "I replied. My statement causing his eyes to snap up and meet mine "

"It's not so." He stated

as patient as ever.

His eyes begging me to continue, to trust, to allow him to help. So I did.

I told him all of it. Lissa's outburst, my thoughts and conclusions.

When I finished, Dimitri only stared at me for a while with a sad look gracing his features, and then said, " You of all people, most deserve the love, care and happiness that the world could ever offer Roza. Not all have a sense of duty, loyalty, responsibility, respect, forgiveness, honor and several more things, as you do.

You would be the last person I'd consider cold hearted, Roza. "

His words broke down my walls, as I burst into tears. Wrapping his arms around me, he pulled me closer, I buried my face in his chest as sobs wracked through me and he held on to me tightly, murmuring soothingly in Russian.

A while later when I regained my composture, Dimitri got up to get the first aid box, to treat my bruised hands and I followed him.

We were near the storage room when I spoke,"If I believe your words comrade why is it that you maintain all your distances, isn't it a point supporting Lissa's words? "

Dimitri stilled, and turned around looking directly into my eyes , "Somethings require fixing and you are the priority now. Please follow."He said.

We entered the room, Dimitri pulled the first aid box from the well stocked cupboard and gestured me to sit on a table, as he proceeded to work on my hands, step by step, disinfecting, medicating and wrapping it.

Putting the box away, he retreated towards the door and was about to leave when I interrupted,"You never answered comrade! "

He stopped, shut the door and locked it. In only two long strides, he covered the distance between us and continued moving forward, while I moved backwards until my back hit the wall.

All his emotions were evident in his eyes, the inner turmoil, subsided soon. He placed both his arms on the wall, on the either side of my head, effectively stopping me from escaping, and spoke, gazing directly into my eyes, "Never doubt yourself Roza, you are the warmest, liveliest, and most jovial, kindhearted person I have ever met.

Please do not underestimate yourself or my adoration and love for you."

"But... "

I was about to speak when his lips captured mine, silencing me effectively.

Oh, this was him! Dimitri! His lips.

The moment was almost surreal,his lips soft and warm, he tasted minty.

The faint smell of his aftershave flooded my senses, as his strong arms tugged me closer to himself, it was supposed to be a chaste kiss, began as one, but soon something carnal started taking over. He knotted his fingers in my locks tugging slightly, as his mouth detached from mine, allowing me to breathe while his lips worked their way down to my collar bone and all to soon Dimitri pulled away, saying something like, "Ты будешь моей смертью!"

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Ты будешь моей смертью!- You'll be the death of me.

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I'd recommend you to read all of:

Gigi256's works,I love them all.

Have a great day!


	8. Training day

"20 laps, 10 minutes, off to the track everyone, now." Galina commanded.

Today, was the second day of the schedule change ,all were living on human schedule, it was a part of St. Basil's training program to enable its students to adapt to changes in schedules .

It was luckily an overcast day, and the morois had been given the day off to enjoy the pleasant weather, Ivan stood near the boundary walls, watching me train.

 _"Watching you train might help me pick up some defense moves, and someday it might come in handy. "_ Ivan stated, as the reason,whenever asked about it.

" _You know I won't ever let that day come, it's what I am working for. "_ I often replied .

 _" Dimka, shouldn't you be glad and relieved, to know, that your friend has the ability to stand up for his ownself or others when in need? "_ He'd question , with a mock frown.

 _" Indeed I am._ "I replied, and he smiled.

He was among the morois who believed that even morois should stand for themselves, instead of being completely dependent upon their Guardians. And I really appreciated his thoughts.

" Move, Belicov! "Valerie called up from ahead, interrupting my reverie, I was lagging behind.

Thanks to my bigger strides, that I caught up with all soon.

Next, we moved to individual work out sessions.

Once over with it, excitement took over me, it was time for our one to one combat training class, and I was eager to test a new technique. I had picked it up from Guardian Volkov, seeing him practice at the gym, and had practiced it since then, and wanted it to use it in combat.

"Divide yourselves into two teams and head to the field. "Galina instructed.

This was new, we seldom trained for one to one combat in the open field, since the gym was better equipped.

On entering the field, we noticed that it had been readied for a combat session, the boundaries had been marked, the nescessary equipment had been placed on a table nearby, a board had been placed near a the table, surrounding which were three chairs, and a mic had been placed on it. The authorities had even placed chairs surrounding the now prepared arena.

I wondered what all it actually was for , until a loud voice announced, "The members of the two teams are requested to report to Guardian Lestrange. "

Guardian Lestrange handed us all badges, there were a pair of identical ones, each being handed to a member from the rival teams.

Returning to the given sides of the arena we noticed some morois , serving as an audience for the event.

" Novices, I welcome all of you to the annual duel championship, you have been given your badges and your opponents have been selected. One turn elimination protocol would be followed, that is, if you lose, a single fight, you will be disqualified." Informed the guardian.

" 16 novices would qualify for the next round, it would be held today itself to choose the eight fighters, moving to the semi-final round of this prestigious event .

The winner would be entitled as the 'Combat champion' of the year, with their names being added to the list of the "Honoured Victors".

'Play Fair, and fight well', may the best win. "She concluded, marking the beginning of the event, the whole setup, a surprise to us novices, since we only knew that the tournament was to be held, but were unaware of the exact details.

I was relieved and glad to notice that I had to go in the fourth fight, since it allowed me to calm my inner turmoil and provided me the opportunity to observe the movements and techniques of my to-be opponents.

"Ready to lose are we? "Said Nikolai, my current opponent, a short damphir, with messy black hair and a stocky build.

He was more talk, and less actions Currently trying to rile me up.

Having sparred and combatted against him on several occasions, I was familiar with his style of fighting that helped me defeat him easily.

His cocky attitude and over-confidence, being his major flaws. His moves were sloppy and predictable.

He attacked first as was habituated, and I was able to sidetrack him, and my kick caught him unawares, the punch that followed, rendered his dominant side injured. His right arm being weak, did little to allow him block my next move. A punch to his shoulder blade,left him staggering thus rendering him incapable and disqualified.

The match lasted for less than three minutes, and I was relieved to know that it was over as, the more energy I saved, the better I would perform in the next round.

"The first round thus comes to an end, and we have our chosen warriors ready for the next stage." The voice of Galina boomed from the speakers, as she announced the end of stage one, once the sixteenth combat concluded, with Leo defeating Misha. The fight had been quite an engaging one to witness.

" But be informed that, in the next stage, you would be using stakes as your weapon against their opponents. For the safety of the participants the stakes have not been sharpened. Remember that they would not kill, only injure. "

Said Guardian Volkov, addressing the qualified novices , with the first stage of qualifiers coming to an end, quite a crowd had now gathered, forming a bigger audience for our skills.

Hoping to get a better opponent I waited patiently, really wanting to test my practice with the new move.

" Novice Belicov versus Novice Verenich. The opponents are requested to ready themselves for the next combat challenge "Announced Guardian Volkov, as the crowd of the now gathered morois and junior novices cheered and clapped.

I was glad that it was her, Svetlana was among the best novices of our year.

'Thonk!!! 'Rang the bell as the first match of the second round began.

I had seen Svetlana fight and had even practiced combating with opponents of her height but none of it set me at ease. I was waiting for her to attack first but she didn't, probably she was waiting for me to make the first move, but I didn't.

I was patient enough to wait, finally loosing her calm, she attacked and I blocked, and simultaneously attempted to kick her feet off the ground, but the short novice was quick enough to defend herself, following she attempted a jab, but was not so very successful, on and on went the match as the series of attacks and defenses continued.

I had to admit that she was good, agile, swift, finely hid the tell-tale signs of the next attack, she was light on her feet and confident of her techniques, whereas the fault that I found was, her dominant side, right ,could be easily determined. But she was good at defending the weaker, left.

Her increasing confidence, now being exuded by her slightly callous approach.

At a point of time Svetlana had brought her stake out, attempting an ariel kick, had tried to stake me, but I had avoided her attack completely and knocked her stake off her hands.

Little had she known that Galina had made me work hard on my techniques against shorter opponents since, she doubted the fact that I would come across many/any opponents taller than me.

Blocking her attacks I had waited for an opening, an opportunity, and the tiredness to show and when she faltered, I made my move, I hit her knee, she staggered, grabbing her wrist, I maneuvered her, effectively pinning her to the ground, she continued to resist but to no avail, grabbing the stake from the holster I feigned the staking.

Shouts and cheers erupted from the audience.Ivan was evidently whistling and clapping joyously.

The match had lasted for a little over eight minutes, Galina was controlling her reaction but a gleam was evident in her eyes, I hoped that she was proud.

"Belicov, meet me at the gym in fifteen minutes gotta show you better and new techniques now that you have qualified for the semi finals. Do bring lord Zelkos and Boris, I'd like to help them. "

Galina had instructed me later that evening, when I was heading to the showers after my evening workout.

'what a training day! 'I exclaimed.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

As promised, here is the next Chapter. :)

Looking for a good read, full of romance, fluff,humour, angst, some bit of teasing and threatenings,love making, fun and more of romitri, read works by,

Swimming the Same Deep Waters.

Have a great time!


	9. Drunken delight!

RPOV

"Hmmm... Heheheheheh..."

"Oooooo mmmmyyyyy!"

"The floor is swiiiiiivvvvveeeellllliiiiinnnnggggg and swingggggggiiiiiinnnngggg!"

"Or is it me swinging?"

"Am I swinging?"

"Heheheheheh!"

"I guess, nooooottttt meeeee!"

"Where areeeeee the ooottthhhers?"

"Wyheeeee issss ittttt soo quiiiiiet?"

"My shoes are sooooo comfy."

"I loooooove my shoes."

"I looooove ... ?"

"I looooove... Lissa."

"They are black, as is it dark."

"Lissa is white, as is an angel."

"Lissa is a kind mangel!"

"Mangel... What is a Maaaaannnnngggggel? Lissa,... a moroi... and an... aaaaangel,... a mangel."

"Yeeeeeeeeeaaaah!"

"I am a geeeenius!"

"a geeeeeenie!"

"No!!... ussss!"

"Aha... geeennniiiiussssssss."

"Heheheheheh!"

 _ **DPOV**_

'iiiiussssssss... Heheheheheh...' Said a low singsong voice.

' _Who could be up this late?'_ I wondered, heading towards the voice.

On turning into a passage leading to the third floor, I noticed a small figure making its way down the stairwell.

"May I know what are you doing out of your dorm so late after curfew? "I asked out loud, strictly .

The person didn't reply.

Moving up the stairs, I realized that it was none other than Rose, in the poor disguise of a boy.

" Rose what are you doing out of your room, so late at night? "I enquired in a hushed tone.

" Shhhhhhhh... Shhhhh! "She replied, with a crooked, scrunched face, probably trying to express her annoyance.

It was then I noticed that she was drunk.

She could not be caught like this, otherwise headmistress Kirova, would have a cause to trouble and expell her from the academy.

"Rose, what are you up to, and why are you drunk? " I repeated .

" Can't... yo... you see that, I am trying to ge... ge... get down to juggling stairs? " She said, stepping on the first stair, heading down, tightly holding on to the bannister for support, for she was slightly swaying .

She tried to take the next step and missed, she was about to fall down, when I caught her, by her jacket, and pulled her towards me, as a result of which she easily fell into my embrace.

"Awwwwwww!... I so so love it! "She said sighed pleasantly, sniffing and smiling .

" What is it Roza?You are too incoherent to speak to, let's head to your dorm. " I said to her, tugging her with me, trying hard to hide, how flustered I felt with her this close to me.

" Your aftershave, eeee... It.. smells freshening and good,... I like it. "She replied with a goofy smile.

I failed to hold back my smile, at the confirmation of my doubts, my Roza indeed, did like the smell of my aftershave.

Having had the sniff of my aftershave, Rose, pushed herself away from me, and continued down the stairs, ignoring my help. Making to the second floor, tripping and slipping she continued to walk towards the hall.

I was walking a step behind her, and when I saw a shadow moving in the hall ahead , I put my hand across Roza's mouth an pulled her back, Rose attempted to break free from my hold but could not.

"Rose please be quiet, if you are caught now, you will end up losing your opportunity to guard Lissa. "I requested, warning her. Mentioning Lissa, I gained her attention and she stopped fighting back.

When I heard the footsteps approaching closer, I urged Rose to hide in the broom closet, she did but was having trouble closing the door, I moved to help her, and just on time, a voice said,"Who's there? "

The figure peeped into the passage to see me standing near the broom closet.

" It's me Guardian Smith "I replied, acting nonchalant.

" You were supposed to guard the dorms, weren't you Guardian Belicov? "He inquired.

" Yes, I was, but my shift ended five minutes ago and I was about to retire for the night after a complete sweep of the floor. "I replied sincerely, hoping that he would believe me.

" Sure thing, see you in the morning Belicov. " He replied leaving, to continue patrolling.

I watched him leave and when he left the hall, I went to the closet and knocked at the door.

" Roza, you can come out now. "I said,recieving no reply.

" Rose! "I knocked again, speaking in a hushed tone.

Receiving silence for a reply, I opened the door, only to find an unconscious Rose, leaning against the wall, with the racks supporting her upright posture.

" Rose! "

" Rose, please wake up "

" Rose! "

I spoke keeping my voice low, but Rose didn't stir. Panicking momentarily, then calming myself, I picked her up and carefully headed towards the washrooms, it was unlikely that someone would be there now.

As guessed, the washroom was empty, plopping Rose on the bench, I bought some water, from the nearby tap, sprinkling some of it on her face.

After a few seconds, her eyes opened, peering into mine.Something like a wave swept over me, her eyes were enough to affect me, her groan breaking me out of my reverie.

"Why is it raining? "Rose asked.

She was still high.

" It is not. It was me Rose. "I replied.

" Let's go back to your dorm. "I suggested.

" Hmmm. "She replied, failing at her attempt at standing up . Helping her get up, I trailed behind her, in order to provide required assistance .

After some time, I pulled her back, and asked," Rose what are you doing? "

" Returning to my dorm. "She replied simply.

" Roza we cannot be caught now, if you take this direct route, you will have to cross the matron's desk and she will definitely report you to Headmistress Kirova... "I reasoned.

She stared at me blankly.

Sighing I ordered ," Follow me. "

I could not believe myself, here I was again, showing Roza, one of the secret passages to her dorm, despite having decided against it, since I had made the same mistake twice earlier.

All my resolves were forgotten when Roza was concerned.

' _Does_ that make me whipped? 'I smiled, thinking.

The passage opened three doors away from Roza' s room, I lead her to it and decided to leave her there, but could not.

Opening the door, I let both of us in.

"Sit down on the bed. "I instructed .

But Rose being Rose, plopped down on the bed, and her breathing calmed. She looked so peaceful and beautiful while asleep, but I was having none of it, if she did not take the medicine, she would suffer from a bad headache, tomorrow .

But shaking, did nothing to wake her,and I decided to take the lead.

I removed her wig, opened her shoes and the socks , removed the bag from her shoulders, eased her out of her jacket, placing it on her chair.

I was already conflicted about my emotions, when the night of the luster charm started replaying in my mind, and a sense of deja vu occurred.

I picked her up and placed her properly on her bed, covering her with the sheets.

So much had been done, but not once had Roza been distured.

I looked around her room, but could not find it, thus I went to bring a few tablets from my room, and on returning, I found Rose wide awake, sitting on her bed.

"Rose how are you feeling? "I asked.

" Heheheheheh! You are back! "She giggled.

I had never seen her giggle like this before, but I liked the sound of it.

It let me to the conclusion that she was not yet completely normal but it appeared that some effects of alcohol had faded away.

" Take this, here. "I said handing her a tablet and a glass of water." It'll help you feel better, in the morning. "

And luckily she oblidged.

" Why did you wake up all of a sudden? "I asked.

" I felt you leave, by the time I woke up, you were gone. "She answered sadly.

" So, you don't want me to leave? "I inquired, dreading her the answer.

" You can, if you want to, I won't stop you. "Was her reply, the look she gave me pleaded me to stay while her words spoke otherwise.

" But what makes you think that I would not like to stay? "The words slipped out of my mouth all on their own.

Pulling her feet towards her, she wrapped her hands around her knees and said," Because, that is what everyone chooses to do,... however much I like them to stay.

Every one goes away, leaving me behind..."

My heart broke at her words, such a lively person on the outside, my Roza was hurting so very much on the inside, her mask of bravery and her carefree attitude hid this vulnerable side of her too well.

"Thus I don't expect anyone to wait for me any more " She continued with a sad smile gracing her features as a tear made its way out of her eye.

" Rose please don't. You are not alone, everyone loves you, Mason, Vasilissa, Eddie, Alberta, we all love you, you are valuable to us, your well-being matters to us. "I tried to assure her, sitting down beside her on the bed.

" What about you? "She asked.

" You very well know it Rose. "I said.

" No I don't, show me. "She said.

I couldn't bear her hurting so much, if that's what it took, I would show that I cared for her.

" Comrade... "She said but my lips stopped her.

Warm, soft, succulent, she tasted like strawberries and a tinge of alcohol was evident, despite which she was as intoxicating as ever, her lips molded against mine and I was about to lose control, but all too soon I pulled away and settled a kiss on her forehead.

I sighed.

"God, Rose! "

" I know there is only one. "She said.

And I swear I heard her continue saying, _'he's a Russian. '_

" Huh!? "I asked, but she only giggled in response.

Truly, even when drunk, Roza was a delight to be around.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

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	10. Chapter 10 :mothers

Mother.

"Plop!... Click! "

She put the bracelet in the box, locked it up, and hid the box under her bed.

It now contained eight things: a flower crown that had now dried up, a drawing of them holding hands, a card, a coloured bowl, a handmade bunch of dried flowers, an envelope containing a poem Rose had once written for her mother,an origami rose and the bracelet. Each being a gift that Rose wanted to present her mother with, but never could.

Her mother seldom had time to meet her and not once had she come on her daughter's repeated requests.

" Hi mom! ...How are you doing?...Will you come this week? "

She used to ask when her mom called, but that was three years ago.

"Probably not"

Were the words, she always recieved as a reply.

Controlling her emotions, Rose used to walk away pretending that nothing happened.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Four years later...

"Knock!!... Knock!... Knock! "

A worried looking Alberta opened the door.

"Rose!!...Whats wrong? Is the princess alright? Are you alright?"

she asked panicking.

"What are you doing, out of you dorm , so late after curfew ?... How did you know I was here? "

She asked, when Rose smiled at her little.

" May I come in? "

Rose asked.

" Sure you may, if you assure that this is not a prank. "

She replied.

" No it's not. "

Rose confirmed.

Seeing Alberta worried, Rose said,

" Nothing is wrong, I wanted to talk to you. I checked your office but it was locked, so I came here.

You have lived here since forever, so in two years, it possibly could not have changed. Thus, the off-schedule meeting. "

" Did anyone see you? "

Alberta asked.

" No. Nobody... Except you. "

Rose replied with a mischievous grin, then all of a sudden, she straightened and spoke in a sincere tone,

" I'll only take a few minutes, but I'll go if you want, I did not intend to disturb you. "

" Take a seat, Rose, take all the time you need. I am right here. "

Alberta assured .

Tentatively, Rose took a seat on Alberta's bed and requested her to sit as well.

Then she brought out a box.

" This is for you. "

She said handing it to Alberta.

" Why?... What?... Me?... "

Alerts fumbled ..

Rose's jesture had not only shocked but also surprised her.

" Don't you wanna know what is inside it?"

Rose provoked her.

"Common!! open it. Dont make me wait! "

Rose continued, trying to be as non chalant and Rose-like as possible.

Alberta opened the box, to find a keyring in it. A beaded wooden charm was attached to the ring, it said,

'Thank you, for always being there ! '

I have seen the number of keys you have, thus this, I made that charm you know, I guess it'll be useful for you. Happy Mothers day, "

Rose said all of it, mumbling and at once, worried about the fact, that Alberta probably didn't like her gift. Thus she was surprised, when a teary eyed Alberta wrapped her in a tight hug.

Having devoted all her life to her duty, Alberta was respected feared and followed amongst all.

All that was ever given, rather delivered to her were notices, files, orders, reciepts, datas and intel.

For the first time in thirty years, had she been gifted anything.

In other words, she had been cared for and loved, and that in the role of a mother, she was glad to know that she meant something more than the head guardian to someone.

"Thank, YOU! "

Was all she could say to express her gratitude.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two years later...

" Roza, what are you doing, so early up in the kitchen? "

Asked Dimitri.

"I've been up for an hour an a half. Cooking "

replied Rose, turning to face Dimitri, who burst out laughing in an instant.

"Hey!! That is not fair! I am not that bad a cook. "

Rose said pretending to have been offended.

" Come here. "

Said a grinning Dimitri, grabbing her by her hands and leading her to the mirror in the hall.

Chocolate sauce was smeared on her chin and nose while something resembling flour, across her jaw.

" What a breakfast! Delicious! "

Sighed Dimitri, kissing Rose on her nose and chin, as he licked the chocolate sauce off her face.

" What were you making? "

Dimitri asked Rose minutes later.

" Attempting!... I was attempting to make bilini for Olena and Yes !

It's mother's day after all !!

And, they are not going to do a single work today, only enjoy and rest. "

Rose concluded, authoritatively.

Dimitri nodded with a smile and said,

" Ofcourse!! "

He was always awed by the mere presence of Rose and was overjoyed at the fact that Rose had adopted his family like her own, and so had his family.

Olena had found a new daughter, while the girls had found a mischievous sister.

" I'll help. "he added gleefully.

That morning, when Olena moved into the kitchen to prepare the breakfast, she was welcomed with a loud cheering, greeting, and a table full of breakfast from her children.

" Happy Mothers day mama!! "

They said, while she stood wiping away the tears of joy, seeing their mother cry, they all surrounded her and she was embraced in a group hug.

The sole person standing aloof was Roza.

Seeing the loving mother, her heart ached, she wondered how different her childhood could have been.

Melancholy was about to take over her mood when Yeva moved from her chair and Olena, broke away from the hug, they came to her and embraced her. The motherly affection caused Rose to become teary eyes.

"What are you staring at? Come join us. "

she said to the others, in a very Rose-like manner.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

A year later...

You :'When will you arrive? '

J:' Today around 3'

You :'Will you be free? I wanted to talk to you. '

J:' Yes, in the cafe on the east wing? '

You :' NO! somewhere peaceful , probably private as well. '

J:' In my room, at 5?'

You :'Done. '

She read and re-read the conversation with her mother. She was due to meet her in ten minutes.

Worrying about all that she had decided to do , Rose kept pacing back and forth in the hall of her apartment. She was so deep in thought that she hadn't noticed Dimitri return until he hugged her tightly.

"All will be fine. Don't worry Roza."

He said.

Attempting to calm herself, she buried her face in Dimitri's chest, inhaling his smell, it was particularly his aftershave that soothed her the most.

" Come, I'll walk you to her apartment. "

He said softly, urging Rose to move ahead.

On reaching Janine's apartment, he knocked the door, when she opened it, he said,

" Good Evening guardian Hathaway!

See you later Rose! "

Both the Hathaway women nodded, acknowledging his words.

"Come in, have a seat."

Said Janine, signalling towards a chair.

"It would be better if you had a seat as well, I would like to return your belongings. "

Said Rose.

Janine was surprised as she wasn't expecting anything of this sort.

" Okay. "

Was all she said.

" Here. "

Rose said, handing her the box that contained the presents, that Rose had wished to gift Janine over the years.

" What are these? What for? "

Asked Janine.

" Happy Mothers day! "

Rose stated for an answer.

" O"

Janine replied.

"That's all, see you soon. Bye"

Rose said awkwardly, getting ready to depart , she headed for the door when Janine, spoke,

"Rose,... I am sorry!

I wish to better our understanding of each other. "

Nodding, Rose left, feeling more peaceful and calmer than she usually did.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Well, here it is folks, a mother's day special.

I know I am late, but this piece had to be written.

After reading the amazing compilation, I had to piece this one together, a result of all the inspiration from the compilation.

If you have not already read it, look up for:

"VA10thanniversaryproject"

I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed, as a group of amazing authors are involved in it, and every chapter is unique. Look for it and read it, it's amazing!


	11. Chapter 11:Fear

**_Fear_**

Dimitri Belicov had never thought that he would become a guardian who would be considered an introvert.

Novice Belicov had a hard time controlling his temper.

When eight, Dimitri resembled the build of a thirteen year old. Quarrels, a minor brawl, a punch here, a mistake there, were common. It was this, due to which he had little to no friends, daddy's boy was well known throughout the school, but for his intimidating stance and threatening gait.

Little Dimitri idolized his father, he was daddy's little fighter who protected his Mama, babushka and sisters, loved them and cared for them.

It all changed the day when a thirteen year old Dimitri returned home a week earlier than was supposed to .

... **_Flashback..._**

"Mama, I am home!!... Mama! Karo!... Somebody please open the door. "

" Sonja!... Karo!... Mama!... Babushka!... Is Anybody home? "

Assuming that nobody was home, he moved into the house from the back door, using the spare key kept in the flower pot, only to find his mother unconscious on the floor bloody and bruised.

" Mama! Mama! "

He tapped on her face.

" Mama wake up. "

" Dimka? "

She whispered.

" What happened Mama? "

He asked, supporting her towards the

couch.

" I fell down the stairs. Its nothing. How come you are home early from Basil's? "

She asked.

" The term got over earlier, so I returned, hoping to surprise you. "

He answered.

" Where are the others? "

He asked, handing her a glass of water.

" Yeva took them to visit church. "

Olena answered.

" Go upstairs and wash yourself, I'll make you something to eat. "

She continued.

" It would not be required mama! I'm not hungry, please sit here, I'll just be back. "

He replied.

The injuries were several and this time he just couldn't believe his mama's words.

" No need for the bandages Dimka, I'm fine."

Olena said, when Dimitri was treating her bruised head.

"Hmmm. "

Was all Dimitri replied, while his thoughts raced to various conclusions, to obtain a possible reason for Olena's condition.

Later that night Dimitri woke hearing thuds and bangs, following it he concluded that someone had probably broken into their house and was scavenging the ground floor for valuables.

He moved towards the room Sonja and Vika shared, opened the door and found them scared and huddled in a corner.

"I'll look into it, lock your door from within and don't open it until... "

" Yeva or I ask you. "

Said Karolina interrupting Dimitri.

" I'll go with you, follow me, but keep yourself hidden as long as you can... "

Karolina continued, sighing .

" Why should I be hidden? "

Dimitri asked.

" We need the element of surprise, you will know when you see, just follow me,... once. "

Karo answered.

The brother and sister were slowly descending the stairs, when Dimitri noticed his father standing near a whimpering figure on ground.

" You should have mentioned that father is here, Karo, there's no need to worry now. "

Dimitri whispered.

Karo put a finger on her lips, signalled Dimitri to stay put, and thumped down the stairs, a pained expression on her face.

Rand kicked the whimpering figure on the floor, before turning to face Karo.

" My big girl, how many times have I asked you to stay away? "

Slurred Randall.

" Enough is enough Rand let mother go.

Go beat the hell out of punching bags in the gym, if you have to let off some steam. "

Karo replied.

Aghast at hearing Karo, only now did Dimitri notice that it was none other than Olena, his mother, who lay whimpering on the floor, beaten black and blue.

Rage boiled within him, but he waited, wishing for someone to tell him that it was nothing but a nightmare.

The sound of a crash broke him out of his reverie. Karo had punched Rand and he fell against the table crashing all on it,but before Karo could make her next move, Rand had brought out a knife from his pocket and slashed across her hand.

Having distracted Karo, Rand held the knife against Olena's throat.

"So very eager as always, but it's useless, sometimes Sonja , sometimes Vika, and now Olena. Who else must I threaten so that you leave me alone, my dear girl?

Rand mocked at her.

"Do I need to tell that Olena dies if..."

"THUMP! "...

Rand was interrupted when a fist connected with his face.

Combating Karo, Rand had had his back towards the stairs and had never noticed Dimitri standing there.

Rand's words had been enough to shock Dimitri to his core and unleash his wrath, he was seething with anger.

"How... Dare... You?... "

"I... Loved... You?... "

Said Dimitri between punches.

"You... were... My... Papa?..."

He said, holding Rand by his collar, he dragged and pulled him to stand upright.

"you... beat... mama!!..."

He continued, shoving him against the wall.

"you... threatened... Sonja... and... Vika!... "

Said Dimitri slapping him across his face.

" You... Will... Never...again...touch any... ANY...member of my family... "

Yelled a furious Dimitri ,seizing a bloody Rand by his throat.

Karo tried to pry Dimitri off Rand but Dimitri shoved her aside.

" Leave me... he can live no more!... I won't let him live anymore... How dare he hurt my family!!... Let him feel how he has been making Mama feel! "

He stated.

" Dimka, it's not his time, let him go. "

Ordered Yeva calmy, as she descended the stairs.

" Let him go son, you are better than that."

Whispered Olena, slipping in an out of her consciousness, as Karo attended to her injuries.

"You hit her and she saved you! You are a good for nothing creature. Leave and ever come back. "

Said Dimitri, backing off, with fury lacing his tone.

No sooner had Dimitri released his collar, Rand, moved to attack Olena, with the knife on his hand.

It was enough to allow another surge of fury to overpower Dimitri's conscience, as a result of which, he grabbed Rand's collar, pulled him back, dragged him out to the front yard and started kicking him only to stop when Rand became unconscious, following which, Dimitri dumped a jug full of water on Rand, bringing him back to his consciousness.

"That's enough my boy. "

Said Yeva gripping Dimitri's shoulder firmly.

Controlling his rage, Dimitri escorted Rand to the entrance of the Belicov place.

" Go away from here and dare not to return. "

He spoke loud enough for Yeva to hear, as she stood at the houses entrance, while lowering his voice he threatened Rand, grabbing him by his collar yet again .

" If you ever return to Baia or try to harm any member of my family, remember, I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN, and no one will ever see or hear from you again, as if you never even existed. "

He concluded, shoving him on the road and heading back towards his house.

... **_Flashback ends..._**

That night Dimitri had shut himself up in his room, and cried his heart out, his idol had turned out to be the devil.

It was this incident that had instilled a fear in him, he relieved the nights for days to come, he remembered having shoved Karo and the scared look on her face.

Later that year, when he had returned to St. Basils, both, his outlook towards life and attitude had undergone a major change.

The Dimitri who hadn't ever thought twice before hitting someone, didn't even raise his voice while speaking to others.

Because Dimitri Belicov feared that someday he would become as cruel and evil as his father.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

So, first of a planned set. After several edits this is the final piece. Want me to continue with 'fear' ?liked it? Hated it? Any other opinions, do let me know.

Want to read another amazing stories, try stories by :

 ** _TiA995_**

I am loving the works i've read so far, and hope, so will you. Give her stories a chance and be amazed.

Have an amazing time wherever you are!


	12. Chapter 12:father like and father

Lissa, Christian, Dimitri and I had been working hard at hiding a secret from Abe for the past week.

We were organising a private father's day celebration here, at court.

All of us had come to joint conclusion that our old man deserved a special treatment (not that it was any different anywhere, but we were acknowledging his efforts, for he had been there for all of us, helping us through hardships) and the surprise was to be unveiled today.

I was nearly ready, and looking for my favourite scarf to complete the look of the evening , when I accidentally caused a box to topple from my cupboard. Hitting the floor, it's lid opened, causing its contents to scatter around the room.

I was busy picking them up when something familiar caught my attention. Picking it up from beside by bean bag, I glanced at it, the younger me which looked up at me from the picture was happy but far different from me.

The memories flooded back and I sat down on the floor, smiling at the photograph as silent tears flowed down my cheeks

 _*flashback*_

"Hey Liss, come here",

Said Rose from behind the pillar,

"What happened Rose? Why all the secrecy?"

Asked a curious Lissa.

"Sssssshhhhhh!! Wait and watch, keep your head low, no one should see us here, now."

Whispered Rose, being all mysterious and turned around to resume her spying.

"I still don't understand, what we are spying on, from here."

Spoke a confused Lissa after fifteen minutes of intense staring.

"Follow me."

Rose said, leading Lissa to her room.

As soon as Lissa entered, Rose locked the door behind her and urged her to seat herself.

"What happened Rose, is something wrong?"

Lissa asked, worried that something was gravely wrong.

"Remember, I told you that something was going on and we were being kept in the dark? Huh? Hmmmm? Do you recall?"

Said Rose seriously.

"Yes, I do. What happened? Is something wrong?"

Asked Lissa voicing her concerns.

"Well,... I found the reason behind it."

Replied Rose with a mischievous grin.

"How?"

Asked a dumbstruck Lissa.

"It wasn't so hard, I was just a bit alert around the place, paid attention to all that was going around and all that was being said around and deduced the mean result."

Stated Rose.

" Care to share? I'll love to know about it. "

Said Lissa, smiling at her best friend.

" Andre is planning to organize a party for your parents, the day after tomorrow. "

Informed Rose, and soon a grinning Lissa was jumping up and down her seat in excitement, squealing and yaay-ing around her room.

That evening the duo cornered Andre and he had him explain himself.

By the end of the evening, all three were aboard and Rose and Lissa decided to help Andre, put up a wonderful evening for their parents who were to return that day from a long business trip.

"What a beautiful organization! Fine arrangements!"

Rhea had exclaimed, at the sight of their hall decorated in a shade of gold and deep green.

"Great choice! Wonderfully done kids. It wasn't something we had expected at all, thus we thank you, for all of these."

Eric had stated with a big smile gracing his handsome face.

"We are proud of your thoughtfullnes, thank you, yet again. "

The elder dragomirs had spoken in unison. That evening Eric had announced that all his children would go for a picnic the next day, to which Andre and Lissa readily agreed, smiling from cheek to cheek.

It was in that moment Rose had realized that she thus wasn't included, she wasn't a Dragomir.

Seeing Lissa sitting on Eric's lap, Rose's wondered,

 _'what would it have been if even i had a father who loved me and thu cared for me?'_

A dull ache, a longing was clear in her eyes, as she made way to the Dragomirs.

"Goodnight Rhea!!

Good night Eric!!

Night Andre!!

Night Liss!!"

She said, plastering a smile on her face, as she made way to her room.

The next morning, Lissa woke Rose up.

"Rose...

Rose, please help me choose what to wear? I just can't seem to decide one."

"Give me a minute Liss",

mumbled a sleepy Rose heading towards the bathroom.

"You look cute."

Commented Rose, an hour and a half later as the girls descended the stairs to meet the others.

"Why aren't you ready yet?"

Asked Lissa, sometime later, staring at Rose with a weird look of confusion on her face.

They were at the breakfast table having breakfast, when all heads around them shot up, at Lissa'words.

"What?"

Exclaimed Rhea!

"Why?"

Spoke Eric.

Andre only appeared confused at the ongoing discussion.

"Rose, dear we only have forty-five minutes, hurry up get ready fast otherwise we'll be late!"

Said Rhea affectionately.

"Lissa , honey go help Rose, and make sure you are ready in time."

"But you said... That...that.. "

Stuttered a shocked Rose, only to be interrupted by Eric.

"Dear, I had said that all, ALL... my children will go for a picnic, and why in heavens name would I exclude you honey, you are as good a daughter to me as Lissa is, and never doubt that, now off you girls go, hurry up. "

Eric's words had an adverse effect on Rose, the girls headed to Rose's room and only then did, Rose allow her tears to escape while Lissa comforted her.

"Hush, you knew it. Rose, you are my family, always have been."

Said Lissa trying to soothe her.

It was the first time that anyone had ever called Rose, their daughter and even so lovingly, that it had erased her ache and longing.

It was from that day that Rose accepted the fact that she was a part of the Dragomir family nonetheless.

Half an hour later, the girls headed towards the porch, giggling and laughing, hand in hand.

Little had they known that Andre had been hiding behind the door to surprise them but no sooner had he jumped out from behind the door than Rose had his head in a headlock, surprising the poor fellow.

"Calm down girl, it's only me."

Said Andre continuing his futile attempt to escape.

"Say cheese everybody. "

Miss Margaret, the house keeper, rounded the corner, with a camera in her hand, capturing the moment.

 _*End of flashback *_

The smiling older Dragomirs are long gone and so is Andre, but this particular memory is still one of my favourites.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't even felt Dimitri's presence until his arms wrapped around my waist and shoulders.

He didn't ask anything, only comforted me.

"Do you know comrade, he was the first father like figure, that I'd had in my life, only to lose him within months from that day."

"I understand, Roza, but I don't want you to be sad anymore."

He spoke softly in my ear.

"You should not be sad, that he's no more, but you should be grateful, for the fact that your ever had someone as good as him to look up at, in your life, and now, you have Abe."

"Always a master of zen, aren't you comrade?"

I spoke, teasing him, lightening the mood around us.

"Hurry up, milaya, I don't think Abe 'll be happy to wait any more than he already has."

He said.

"Oh, he'll live!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hey guys here's the father's day special.

Looking for a good story, check out :

' Yesterday is history '

By TheCoffeeShopMuse.

I guarantee that you would not be disappointed.

Have an amazing day ahead!


	13. Chapter 13- i fear

It is now, in the arms of my soul mate that I realise, that from this day, my greatest fear would be loosing him or, him pushing me away.

Spiders and psyhounds were scary, but nothing would matter as much as him and his happiness.

XXXX

"Get it off me, I dolt like ift.

Mommy, help, theis is cweepy, mommy!!"

I cried.

"What happened Rosemarie?

Why are you screaming?"

Mommy asked.

"Look there. It's a spwidwer. "

I replied.

"No, Rose, its a small ant, not a spider."

She stated.

"Rweally?"

I smiled asking, and replied

"Oops! I am sowry!"

XXXX

"Rosemarie, get away from the cactus!"

Mommy said.

"But why?"

"Want to see the teeny stick things pointing out of it."

I said.

"Those are thorns Rosemarie, you will get hurt, come here."

Mommy replied.

"I am not scared mommy, I am a blave girl and will be a blave guardian."

I stated.

"No more fussing, get ready we have to go see aunt Bertie."

She stated finally.

XXXXX

"Hey Rose, are you done, my shoulders are hurting, you need to get down. "

Said Mason.

"Just a minute more ducky, and we'll be good to go."

I said, hiding the baloons in the compartment beside the vent.

"Aren't you scared of what would happen if Stan discovers it was you."

He asked, worried.

"O, he would probably guess, but will have no proof ,that it was us, and if he does, I say bring it on, not that I am scared of poor Stanny."

I assured him.

" Well, here goes the epic prank of the junior year!"

Mason commented, flexing his shoulders, when I descended to the floor .

"Well, I had to raise the waters for the upcoming generation, didn't I?

The action is yet to come, I am so waiting for tomorrow to come!"

I exclaimed happily.

XXXXX

"Andre, change the song for goodness sake!"

Said Lissa.

"How about some Bohemian Rhapsody?"

I suggested.

"So, Bohemian Rhapsody it is."

Lissa chimed in.

Is this the real life?

Is this just fantasy?

Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality...

I was singing out loud, when I saw the truck!

My eyes widened with surprise and fear, I feared for Lissas life, and mine.

I tried to shield Lissa with my body, and all to soon it crashed into our car, it was quiet and numb for a second, before the terrible pain began and all I could think of was that we were never going to live through this and I wouldn't ever be able to see anyone ever again.

XXXXX

"... the threat lies here, lurking in the shadows of the academy, take her away , keep her safe.

They have come for me, and they will come for her. Take her away and keep her safe, hidden, help her survive. Go Rose go. "

Said Mrs Karp hastily, pushing me towards Lissas dorm room.

And it was probably her panic and fear, making its way into my conscience, as I ran towards lissas room.

XXXX

" No, Mase...

get awaaaaaaaaay!!...

Mason!!... "

I woke up screaming.

Day and day again, I relived his death, the moment haunted me.

It was my fault that he went hunting and he loved me enough to sacrifice his life to save mine.

I was now afraid of making the slightest of mistakes, because who knows when it might cause me to lose the others I loved.

XXXX

" Rose? Is it you?

No rose don't come near me...

Please...

Rose go away...

Please, leave...

You will get hurt...

I... I don't wanna hurt you... ."

He said, pulling the covers from off him and nearly jumping out of the bed.

He stumbled towards the closet, frantically opened the door and tried to move in.

For once, I could not comprehend, what had happened to him and then it struck me. His nightmares were back.

"Dimitri."

I said to him.

He stood still, facing the closet, his stance showed his despair as if he was trying to shrink into himself, become smaller and fade into nothingness.

Taking a step towards him, I gently laid a hand on his shoulder.

"You should not have forgiven me."

He said, as a sob racked through his body.

"I have been a horrible person, a monster."

"It wasn't you."

I assured.

"This isn't you.

My comrade is a master of zen. Not a broken man."

I continued turning him around.

"Its past, so let it go."

His face was tear-stricken, and his hair untied, framing his face.

"Little does this man acknowledge his worth. "

I thought.

Staring him in the eye, I cupped his face and said,

"You will never hurt me comrade, i am sure of it, you are no monster."

I tugged him towards the bed, sat him down, and handed him a glass of water.

"Thanks...here."

He said handing me the glass after having chugged down the water like a thirsty man.

Then, he just sat on the bed, with his legs folded, t-shirt wrinkled and hair disheveled , staring into the nothingness.

His gloom worried me and being able to take it no more, I slipped onto his lap.

It drew his attention back to me, but he responded no more, so I put my head against his and once again found myself staring into deep brown orbs that were now glossed.

"I don't know, what I did, to deserve you."

He spoke softly.

" And, I you."

I replied.

And for the first time, tonight, he smiled.

Taking the opportunity, i asked,

"Comrade, why did you walk into the closet?"

His grin widened, as he replied,

"I was still drowsy and assumed that it was the exit of the room."

His confession made me laugh out loud, following which, all of sudden, i was trapped in a bone crushing hug by Dimitri, as he whispered in my ears,

"Никогда не меняйте моих возлюбленных"

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Никогда не меняйте моих возлюбленных-never change my beloved.

Its raining here, and I am absolutely loving it. Any one out here who loves splashing water, and jumping in puddles?

Have an amazing time wherever you are!


	14. chapter 14-guilty and framed!

_"Where are you?"_

 _I thought._

I had placed the box here.

Right here ,under the shirts , but now i couldn't seem to find it anywhere.

It contained my hair ties, all eight of them. Only yesterday, had I kept it here and now it was nowhere to be found .

Rearranging the belongings, I shut the closet door and continued scavenging the room.

Half an hour was wasted and no hair ties were found.

 _"I'll have to borrow hers."_

I concluded.

On opening her side of the closet, I was attacked by a pile of clothes, that had been stashed inside haphazardly, as a result of which they now lay on the floor, in a heap.

 _"Oh Roza!"_

I exclaimed, as I set to the job of sorting the mess.

It was typical of Rose to stash her clothes, due to which she always had to iron them, before wearing them everyday, while mine were ironed and arranged during the weekends.

Twenty minutes later, I breathed a sigh of relief, when all the clothes had been neatly arranged in the closet, sorted and folded.

I was about to close the door, when a red decorated envelope caught my eye!

Reaching down, near the bed, I grabbed it. I had never seen this envelope before, it wasn't mine.

I concluded that it belonged to rose and had probably fallen out of the closet along with her clothes.

It was a big fat envelope and probably contained something substantial.

 _"What is inside it?"_

 _"I should see."_

 _"No, I should not."_

 _" Roza wouldn't mind."_

 _" But that would be invading her privacy, again, seeing that I had already opened her closet without her permission and even arranged it._

 _" It was wrong of me to have acted in that way."_

 _"I have no right to do this."_

I debated internally and the last reasons were sufficient to justify that I was at fault.

I was decidedly putting the envelope in the closet, when something crunched in it, and it sounded awfully similar to that of broken glass.

A petulant curiosity took over me, as I dumped the contents of the envelope on the table.

It was an old and simple photo frame, containing a picture, a very cute, little young girl in it drew my attention ,she was surrounded by other kids. In all, there were five of them.

I soon realized that the kids in the picture were none other than Rose, princess Vasilissa, Mason, Eddie and prince Andre.

It was a pretty picture but the glass of the frame was cracked, all thanks to me.

 _"I probably just destroyed one of her most precious belongings. "_

As soon as the thought dawned upon me, an unwanted gloom took over my mood.

 _"Rose had been nothing but kind, caring and loving towards me for over the years, when I was her mentor, she had respected, and even obeyed me to some extent._

 _Nothing had changed now, except the fact that we now were equals._

 _Rose has always kept her word, whereas I on the other hand, didn't deserve her._

 _I had hurt her over and over again and now had violated her privacy,_ and spoiled her memento. "

The words hurt but they were true.

 _" She would be disappointed. "_

 _" She will hate me, for it. "_

 _" She wouldn't talk to me for days. "_

 _" She would leave me and walk away. "_

Various scenarios played through my mind, as I carefully picked up the pieces of broken glass and arranged them on the frame, since they weren't mine to throw away, nor did I have the heart to do so.

 _" Its my fault_ , _I would try to make up for it. Roza souldn't suffer."_

I resolved, putting the frame back in the envelope.

Checking the time, I saw that I had an hour until Roza returned from her shift, so I began working on a mini feast for the night.

" Mmmmmmmhmmmm! You know I followed that delicious smell right from across the dormitory."

She said, leaning against the kitchen door with a goofy grin on her face.

"This is why I love you comrade!"

"The dinner will soon be ready, go wash yourself and then we'll dig in."

I said smiling at her fondly.

"That'll be too late!"

She whined.

"Wait I'll be back..."

She stated dashing towards the washroom.

"I'm back!"

She said.

"So what do we have here?"

I turned around to find her dressed in shorts and one of my huge t-shirts, sitting at the table, while I was arranging the food on it.

"That was fast" ,

I stated.

It had barely been five-minutes, a twenty minute process ended in less than five minutes, just for tasty food. That was my Roza!

I smiled at the thought.

"Anything for such a delicious dinner."

She replied looking at the dishes gleefully.

 _"Her smile would vanish on knowing what I have done!"_

I thought.

 _"I would have the frame repaired, the glass replaced and Roza wouldn't ever know."_

Many such thoughts processed in my mind while I had dinner, but somehow it felt wrong, deceitful.

Roza and I only made small talk as she told me about her day.

We were in our room, when she finally stopped me, made me sit and spoke,

" Dimitri, is something wrong?"

"Comrade?"

"You seem a bit off?"

"Is everything alright ?"

The concern in her voice only made my heart beak all over again.

I didn't deserve it. I didn't deserve her.

"Promise me that you won't be too furious hearing all that i have to say."

She furrowed her brow, answering,

"Okay, so tell me now."

"I was looking for my hair ties, and i couldn't find any, so I wanted to borrow yours, i am extremely sorry that I did it without your permission, i arranged your messed up closet in the process..."

"That's it? Comrade, its nothing to worry about, instead, I should be the one thanking you..."

She interrupted me.

"No, actually its your photo frame.

The one in the red envelope, fell down and the glass broke!

I am extremely ashamed of my behaviour.

I didn't mean to pry, just that it fell and broke.

I am sorry for it, I really am and I will have it fixed for you, I cannot undo the damage I've done, but I'll try to make up for it in any way possible .

The intrusion was uncalled for and, I can assure you that it would never happen again, I didn't notice it until later... "

I mumbled hysterically.

She probably saw the panic in my eyes, as she placed her hands on my cheeks, cupping my face, soothing me.

" I am sorry that you had to go through that, comrade.

I am not angry. "

Hearing her speak the words, I was rendered speechless, this wasn't the reaction I had been expecting.

"Sure?"

I asked.

"sure."

She she replied nodding her head.

My worry was replaced by hope.

" Are you gonna keep your word of making it up to me? "

She inquired, with a glint in her eye.

" Yes, I will. "

I replied sincerely smiling.

Smiling like a cheshire cat, she pulled me in a hug and whispered in my gear.

"That's my frame of guilt, it wasn't you."

Pulling her away, I asked, confused.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, it wasn't you who broke the frame, I did, some eleven years ago, accidentally. And was too poor and lazy to have it repaired, thus kept it under furniture, in an envelope to prevent further damage."

She spoke giggling.

The words made me feel relaxed and foolish at the same time.

Seeing my face, Roza doubled up in laughter.

" Don't worry, you are not the first person to have fallen for it. "

She spoke between the fitss of laughter.

" Mason, Eddie, Adrian, Lissa, Chris,Marina Emil and even Alberta has fallen for this one, and its the sole reason why I didn't replace the broken glass. "

I took me a while to process her words, i tried see if she was lying to make me feel better, but the picture of Mason she showed me, with the frame in his hands proved her words.

" Here, hold this."

She said fishing out the frame from the envelope and handing it to me.

"Its one of my traditions to take a picture with the victims."

She stated, answering my questioning look.

Holding the phone in front to take a selfie , she grinned and said,

"Say Guilty and framed!"

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So, do you find Dimitri a bit out of character here?

Let me know.

And a very very Happy Birthday to Jared Padalecki!

Any supernatural fans here?

And, read the story ,

let me show you by objectiveheartmuscle!

Its an amazing read!

Have an amazing time!


	15. Chapter 15-It rains

RPOV

"Five... four... three... two...one...!"

I counted under my breathe.

"Yay ! "

Its finally over.

"My bed here I come!"

I exclaimed, as I ran towards the office to sign myself off duty for the day and the next to come.

Lissa had given me a day off for I had been doing way too many extra shifts and according to her, I needed to rest.

Dimitri was off with Christian, to some moroi school to promote the use of moroi magic in combat, and wouldn't be back for another five days. His absence was the cause of my overwork, the apartment wasn't home without him.

I missed him dearly, not even donuts seemed to cheer me.

I had spoken to him only yesterday but it felt likes ages.

It was bright outside, I liked sunshine, blue skies and clear bright days, but today something was amiss.

Entering the apartment I was greeted by a picture of Dimitri and me sharing an umbrella, to prevent ourselves from the downpour , it had been taken in Russia, when we had visited his family, a few months ago.

It only added to my melancholy, the joy of having finished a four hour shift and excitement of enjoying a two day holiday, were now gone, as I longed for my comrade.

I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I guess my tiredness was actually taking a toll on me.

Later, I woke up in the middle of the moroi night to the sound of clouds, thundering and lightening, on opening the window I found that it was even raining heavily, it was the first downpour of the season and an odd thought struck me.

Pulling on my jeans and a black T-shirt,i headed out.

I had several memories related to rains some good, some bad and some funny but the best had been with Mason and Eddie.

 _'What happened? Why have you come here? It's the middle of the night?'_

 _'Just follow me Rosie, I have something to show you!'_

 _It was raining heavily that day and it was almost dark outside, but he had taken me to a tree we often climbed on, to show me an amazing view of the academy! It was one of the prettiest sights that I had ever seen_

 _' Told you, you'd never regret it, now ready to race back to the dorms, are we?'_

 _'Yes, but, why were you up Mase?'_

 _I and Eddie couldn't sleep, thus were up playing truth and dare. '_

 _' So? Where is he now? '_

 _' Looking out for us, it was his dare! '_

 _The smile that had broken out on his face seeing me giggle, had made me realise how lucky I was to have friends like him and Eddie._

We were seven when we had adopted Eddie into our group, the duo turned into a trio and it was for the best, but this change was unexpected.

 _'Mase, hold on, just a few steps more, then we'll be alright and out of danger.'_

 _'It hurts Rose.'_

 _'Once inside, we'll get you fixed, don't worry.'_

 _Both of us had been on one of our scouting trips to the senior novice dorms, it was in the other building, across the campus and, since it had been raining heavily, we were drenched on our paths to and fro._

 _It was then that Mason had fallen on the slippery pavement and hurt his knee._

 _'Wait.'_

 _'Why?_

 _We should go to the infirmary.'_

 _'I guess its a guardian on Patrol.'_

 _'Do you think we'll be punished severely?'_

 _'Not if we hide well now. Hurry, behind that bush.'_

 _The Guardian hadn't noticed us, until Mason's groan of agony had drawn his attention,but before he could look into the matter, a blond boy drew his attention as he raced across the main corridor, into the dorm._

 _We had made it back to Mason's room, aided to his injury, and fooled the Guardians when they had come for a check, but saw the boy nowhere, until the next day in the cafeteria where he sat alone in a secluded corner with a textbook in hand. It was the day we had found another one of our most loyal friends._

When on the run Lissa and I had had our fair share of fun, the rains were no different , we had enjoyed being our common teenage selves once in a while, skipping over and jumping in puddles, dancing in the rain, playing with umbrellas, making paper boats and setting them afloat and so on.

It was on one such rainy night in Russia that I had staked the love of my life , assuming him dead and had been devastated to realize that fact that I would have had to live the rest of my life in his absence.

DPOV

We were done with the seminar and organizations faster than we had expected and thus Christian and I had decided to surprise the girls with our early return, we had talked to them recently but not informed them of our return, it would be great to see her smile heartily at the surprise.

It was in the middle of a rainy Moroi night,when we pulled outside the court's admin building to report our arrival, checking Roza's schedule, I found that she was off duty for the next two days and guessed , that she would probably be asleep in the apartment.

Much to my surprise, I found the room empty and the bed cold, when I sneaked into the apartment quietly.

She was not in the cafeteria, not with Lissa, nor with Adrian and Sydney, I checked several places but could not find her.

The palace was fraught with passages, for facilitating movement of the staff and serving as a safety measure, for the queen and royal morois.

The detailed outlay of the infrastructure had been provided to the royal guardians and Rose and I had them memorized. She often used it to her advantage when she could, but I wondered where she was.

Following my instinct, I headed towards the roof of the palace.

It was huge and well maintained, a part of it had been made into the green house and other remained empty and was used to organize several functions depending upon the time and demands.

In the past two years it had become a habit of hers to seek the solace of the sun when the darkness of her past haunted her.

The sun was a comfort, an assurance to us that we were alive and together. And the roof was a place better than any to seek it, away from prying eyes and curious gazes, for a while we could live in our own bubble.

 _'Roza why are you smiling?'_

 _'Well I just realized that we_ _could have been a normal couple basking in the sun right now.'_

 _'But, what makes you say that we aren't?'_

' _Well, we have been trained to fight pale, bloodthirsty guys, who happens to be undead and its our job to ensure that they become dead_.'

' _So?'_

 _'Don't pretend to be so innocent comrade, it does not come under the label of normal.'_

 _'But we are nothing but normal, when its only you and me. Normal and in love.'_

 _'Hmm.'_

On reaching the rooftop, I found her sitting at the center, eyes closed, she had rested most of her weight on her hands, legs stretched out, her clothes were throughly soaked but she was enjoying the downpour with a content smile on her face.

I waited for her to return, unwilling to disturb her moment of peace but when she didn't, I reluctantly called out for her.

"Roza, come back otherwise, you will catch a cold."

"You know I won't. Come and get me, if you have to Comrade"

She replied.

Having nothing handy, I removed my duster, and headed to Roza using it as a rain guard, but it was of little use when she suddenly shot out of her place and hugged me.

Dropping the duster I returned her embrace.

"I missed you."

She said.

"Me too."

I replied.

She looked up at me smiling and then we were kissing, when we broke apart, Roza had a mischievous grin on her face.

"What happened Roza?"

"I had wanted to do that since forever."

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I love the rainy season and here, is an example of the inspiration that sets in during this time. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Do let me know in the reviews.

What is your favorite season?

And do not forget to check out the new story, ' _What I Live By!'._

Have an amazing time ahead!


	16. chapter 16-love for them!

_'Knock! Knock!'_

The sound of the rapping at the door, forced me too leave the comfort of my bed.

My shift had gotten over only half an hour ago and here was someone already disturbing my peace.

Opening the door, I saw it was mail, and poor Richard, the courts mailboy stood holding a stack of three big boxes.

From the look on his face it could easily be concluded that the poor moroi was having a hard time lifting and balancing the weighted boxes.

This was probably the new set of books that he had ordered. It was an hour until his shift got over, so taking the boxes from Richard, I thanked him, shut the door and decided that it was the safest to put the boxes on the dining table.

It has been five months since Lissa had been crowned the Queen, and three since Dimitri and I had moved into the apartment!

Our apartment, that we shared with Lissa and Christian or rather the vice versa.

Dimitri and I had been honoured with positions of royal guardians and we had accepted it heartily.

Dimitri was officially Christian's Guardian and I was Lissa's but since they spent a lot of time together, so could we.

A wink here or a smile there, was all we could afford while on duty (since we had our reputation and professionalism to maintain), but it was more than enough for us to spend time in each other's presence.

The apartment had been well planned, could be easily secured and heavily guarded, ensured privacy and comfort fit for the queen and was lavishly furnished.

It was huge comprising of five large, rooms each with its attached bathroom, a spacious hall, an island bench with stools, a customized kitchenette for Christian and a majestic office for Lissa, apart from these there were two balconies on the either side of the apartment, overlooking the royal garden and the court grounds respectively, then there was the study and a small library.

Given the fact that we were the assigned Guardians we were to stay somewhere near our charges and in Lissa's words ,

 _'There wouldn't be any place better than my apartment, it will ensure that I am always guarded.'_

She had stated to Guardian Croft, the head Guardian at court.

At first, I really couldn't understand why Lissa had said so, she was aware of the fact that Dimitri and I wanted to be together, live together, sharing the apartment meant little to no privacy for us and more duty.

But here we were now, it was a clever move on Lissa's part, her apartment was planned so that two rooms on one side along with the hall, study, office and library could be counted as a separate apartment, while the three rooms on the other as a different one, connected only by a door, moreover there was even a separate entrance for both when required.

Count on Lissa to provide us with our own separate apartment, ensuring our privacy.

For documentary purposes, Dimitri and I had officially been allotted separate rooms, as had been Lissa and Christian until they were married, but who cared for the reality.

Dimitri and I almost always shared our rooms as did Lissa and Christian, the third room was a hall to us, furnished with a dining table, sofas, chairs and a small kitchenette.

It was here I discovered that Dimitri had a fine choice in furnishing as well, thus, he had even helped Lissa and Christian, as a result of which the apartment/s didn't only look but were also very comfortable and homey.

Mornings were great when we were all off duty, my man and sparky shouldered the responsibility of feeding their women and did a fine job at it.

The men, I guess enjoyed working together sharing and discussing cooking recipes and tips( it had taken them a while to adjust to each others habits but now they worked just fine) .

The first time when Lissa and I had caught them in in conversation related to this very topic , we had been pretty amused, and their appearance had only added to the hilarity of the moment.

Christian had had some flour on his face while Dimitri had a chef's cap on and both had donned on yellow aprons, Dimitri's had a bit of ( what I guessed as) chocolate smudged on one of its edges. With a spatula in his hand and his untied hair, my man looked delicious .

 _'Oh my! You should have told us about you boys modelling for a cookery show, we would surely have brought our cameras and notepads, for your pictures and autographs.'_

I had commented, snickering at the men of the house.

Now, Dimitri and I had enough free time together that allowed us to enjoy the daily life activities and the smallest of moments, it was more than anything we had hoped for.

When we had moved in, Dimitri had confided in me that he wasn't yet ready to contact his family and let him know that he was alive.

Since all his belongings had either been shipped to Baia or had been ' dealt with' upon request, he had to get all things new, afterall the borrowed belongings could only serve so long.

It was since then, began these deliveries, whenever he was free he would order something online and it would be delivered to us, anyone at home ( yes that is what it was to us now) , accepted the parcels and placed it in plane sight, and when he arrived, he arranged them.

It had only taken him a month to gather all basic belongings.

During the fifth week, on a free day we had gone shopping and I bought him a new duster and he had bought a western novel.

Two weeks ago, Christian and I had surprised Lissa with a new jewellery box and Dimitri with a new book shelf.

Lissa had been ecstatic with joy, she had thanked us profusely, hugged us and showered me with kisses, until I had suggested that she save some for pyro and their night together. It had earned me a smack from her, on my shoulder and caused both of them to blush furiously.

Dimitri on the other hand was shell shocked on seeing the shelf. My first impression of his reaction was that, he had hated the surprise, since his Guardian mask was firmly in place.

Christian was utterly confused, after a few agonizing moments Dimitri had asked ,

 _'Is that for me?'_

When Christian and I had replied affirmatively in unison, a grin had broken over his face, his joy was infectious, all four of us had stood there in his room giggling for the next few minutes, Dimitri had gone even as far as exchanging the manly hug with Christian, it was in that moment, Lissa and I had sensed a new bond in development, the bond of friendship between the love of our lives.

Dimitri had taken his time showing me his love and gratitude that night.

A tap on my shoulder broke my reverie, and to my delight, my handsome Russian was back home early!

But, later did I notice that he wasn't early, instead I had spent an hour thinking about our life in the past few months, realising that my love for my loved ones had only increased and we were now a family.

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Hello dear readers, I apologize for the long wait, my exams were to be blamed for the delay. Now that they are over, expect an update soon.

It has been brought to my notice that reviews are not being posted,its one of the recurring glitches, so I suggest that you don't panic and try reviewing again, after sometime.

If you have missed the preprevious chapter, do go back and read!

And do give my new story, "What I Live By" a chance.

Do let me know of what you think about the chapter and have an amazing time ahead!

-katnipsc :)


	17. chapter 17:a gesture

"Mommy, whot is thise?"

Asked she, wiping away the tears that had gathered in her eyes, while demanding for another piece of chocolate .

"Wait and watch cutie."

The mother replied, pulling a weird thing in her hand.

"But promise that you will play with this and not disturb me while I work, okay?"

She continued, smiling at her three year old, blowing into a red piece of inflating material.

"Shold it have to be a plomise mommy?"

Asked the curious kid.

"Yes darling, promise me and you can have it."

Replied the mother in affirmative, smiling at her child speaking with a slight lisp.

The gleaming teary eyes, were now full of glee, wonder and fantasies, which she wanted to preserve for more of a while, before the innocent girl had to face the harsh reality of the world.

"I plomise to play with it and not dist-b.. burb you mommy."

Said the kid, stretching her pinky finger towards her mother to make the said promise, while the mother stretched her hands towards her daughter, to hand her the now inflated red balloon.

The innocent satisfaction that had flashed across the childs face proved that it had been a success, and the stubbornness and sorrow were long gone.

...

" Hey Alberta, can I have one of those once the party is over?"

Said the six year old, pointing towards the

Blue and green balloons that had been used to decorate the hall, where a party was being hosted, welcoming the royal morois to the academy.

"Surely dear, you can have two."

Replied the older woman, smiling warmly.

The girl had returned to her room anxiously, waiting for the party to be over, but it had been a long day, tiredness soon took over as she fell into a sound slumber.

The next morning she had woken up early, but to her dismay, she had been utterly late.

Most of the balloons had been removed, several had deflated, many had burst and the ones that remained, had been stuck so high that it wasn't possible for her to get them. Thus, with a heavy heart, she had yet again returned to her dorm room.

...

"Truth or dare?"

Asked the twelve year old brunette to a red haired boy of the same age.

"Dare"

Replied the boy with a wicked grin.

"Oh, you are so going to regret this!"

She said, rubbing her hands in excitement, as the others noticed that troublesome gleam in her eyes.

"You will have to help me break into the Easter supplies, stored in the storage room... Now. "

The brunette stated.

The glee in her voice did nothing to hide her excitement, as she jumped up from her seat, pulling the red haired boy, towards the direction of the storage room,while the others followed them cautiously.

It had been easy to dodge the Guardian on duty and break into the storage room, finding the required things had been hard, but the duo had emerged victorious, carrying a packet full of candies and another, full of ballons.

"That bag of balloons was useless, we could have done with another packet of candies."

One of the boys had said, while the others had nodded, grunted and expressed their approval at his words.

The words from her friends, had broken the brunettes heart.

She had decided to share the balloons in the same way as they had shared the candies, but no one had seemed interesting, until the next day, when the entire packet full of balloons had gone missing from under her matress, where she had hidden them for safekeeping.

Tears had been shed, but not even one balloon had been recovered.

...

"Hey, Liss would you like to have a balloon or the cotton candy would suffice?"

Asked the fifteen year old brunette.

"Anything but the balloons."

Came the reply.

"Why not?"

She asked. Let down by her friends choice.

"Well, those burst very loudly, and I am agitated by the noise, it hurts my ears."

Replied the friend with an expression as if it was the most logical and obvious answer, ever.

"And ofcourse, its very childish to play with balloons at our age."

She continued, hitting a sore nerve, causing the brunette to decide on the fact that indeed, it had been childish and decided to let go off her fascination.

The brunette believed that she had to be strong, cunning and brave, in order to save her friend from the ones who wanted to harm her and thus could no longer afford to be childish and stubborn.

...

It was the brunettes determination, that had helped her control her emotions through the years, but when they had been brought back to the academy, something had changed, but little was she aware of it until the night of the equinox dance.

The white, blue and black balloons decorating the hall had entranced her, she had wanted to take some of those for herself, and play with them as she had enjoyed in the early years of her childhood but couldn't.

The red haired boy had begged her to follow him and it had proved to be a reasonable one, from there the events had escalated too fast for her to think about balloons.

...

The brunette, now nineteen years old, had mastered the art of controlling her expressions, all thanks to her amazing mentor and obstacles that life had put in her path, so far.

Her friend was now the queen and she was her head Guardian.

It was her job to ensure her queen's safety who had ventured out, to a shopping mall, disguised as a commoner for a breath of fresh air, accompanied by her boyfriend.

The red, green, yellow, blue and balloons in various other colours, celebrating the opening of a new store there, had appealed to her greatly, but she was on duty and maintaining her professionalism, had even prevented herself from peeking at those, to avoid distraction.

Two days passed soon, but the girl could not get them out of her mind. She had tried fruitlessly, for several times, to ignore the nagging, on in her mind, but it only added to her melancholy and fuelled her desire.

That evening when the girl had returned home to her boyfriend, Guardian Dimitri Belikov, from one of her long shifts, she wasn't in the finest of her moods.

Seeing him had made her feel better, but something felt amiss. They hadn't had much opportunity to spend some time together for almost a week and she wondered if it was the reason.

So, she closed the distance between them in three long strides and placed herself on his lap, placing a hand on his shoulder and entwining the other in his hair, she brought his face close to hers and her lips covered his, it felt good as he not only responded to her, but also massaged her shoulders relieving her tensed toned muscles.

Soon, her passion started to reign in, but before either of them lost control, he pulled away, pulled her to his chest, and held her close.

"I have another thing that'll make you feel better."

He said, getting up and pulling her towards their bedroom. It was dark, so dark that even with her damphir senses, the brunette could not quite make out what it was.

Flicking the switch on, he illuminated the room and heard her gasp.

The brunette had never expected that somebody would do something of that sort for her, she would not have been surprised to see it done for Lissa(though she thought that Lissa really wouldn't be very pleased with it) , but this was completely unexpected.

Where the brunette had been longing for a balloon or two, her man had a room full of them, just for her.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she didn't know if they were of sadness or joy. For years, she had longed for one of these, something very trivial to others, but significant to her, she couldn't ever get over her fascination for them.

And here was a room full them, in various sizes, colors and shapes. There were even the helium filled ones and some were filled with glitters and shredded paper,stuck on the walls, on their bed, littered on the floor, even tied to the door, a string of them was hung across the ceiling and it looked beautiful.

"You did this?"

Asked the brunette, choking on her words.

"Indeed, I did, and for you."

Stated the boyfriend.

"Why??... How?..."

The brunettes incoherent words were replaced by his,

"I've been noticing things for a while and left like it was time."

A wide grin broke across her face, as she launched herself onto the bed, giggling and laughing, among the balloons causing some to burst while others to fall on the floor.

It was moments as this that he lived for. Hearing his roza speak in a duck like voice on inhaling helium from one of the balloons would be one of his favourite moments, it had caused him to double up with laughter and made him glad on his actions.

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 **It was yesterday, that I realized that we are never too old for anything that we love, and what inspired this shot, by far the longest that I've written.**

 **I love action figures and balloons, what about you?**

 **Have an amazing time ahead!**

 **Until the next time!**

 **-katnipsc** ;)


	18. chapter 18-leaving behind is hard

I had been walking for hours or so it seemed, it could only have been minutes, but I didn't really care,the forest provided me with the cover I required as I desperately looked for something to satisfy myself, to satiate my hunger, to lessen the agonizing pang gnawing at my insides.

My senses were at their peak as I allowed them to wander far and wide and help me locate something.

So far I had been failing, the flora and fauna were no more aesthetic, only mere distractions, an annoyance in my path as I made my way swiftly and silently through the sparse outgrowth.

It had been nearly three days since I had had some proper rest, not that I required it, but it allowed me to think about her, Rose my Rose, my deadly flower. Her confidence, her passion, her poise, her attitude, her power, were what made her amazing and she was mine. I was determined to return to her, so that she could be with me yet again.

Thinking about her had distracted me for once , but the voices soon grabbed my attention.

"Rachel come down and help me prepare for the dinner, I wouldn't want to delay it, she'll be here soon."

Said a male.

"I'll be right there papa!"

Replied the girl and thudding followed, as the girl probably made her way down the stairs.

Following the voices, I reached an opening, and there it stood, the solution to all my problems, a cozy little cottage, radiating homely warmth and joy.

Moving to the door, I knocked on it thrice.

"Coming!"

Replied the male cheerfully, as he proceeded to open the door.

No sooner had he opened the door, than I twisted his neck and held his limp body firmly upright against the door frame , sinking my fangs in his fragile neck, to feed on the warm nectar that I had so longed for. I felt his life drain from him and into me, the feeling was wonderful and it made me feel strangely powerful. It was addicting.

But all too soon, it was over, and I was done with him, but little could he do to my hunger, I had been eager and thus, my act had been a bit messy.

"Papa, whats taking you so lon.., Ouch!"

Came the girl's voice , and my senses reacted immediately, as the lust took over. Within seconds, I had her bleeding finger in my mouth.

She was shocked to say the least and utterly confused by my sudden appearance ,but she tasted amazing, even better than the male.

Of all her features, what struck me, were her long deep brown locks, that closely resembled the ones that I so desperately longed to wrap around my fingers.

Doing exactly, that, I grinned, seeing terror fill her eyes and she screamed just as I sank my fangs into her soft, pale neck, holding her close pretending as if she was the woman I longed for.

Opening my eyes I found myself in a dimly lit room, wrapped around a small warm figure, with my fingers laced in long, dark brown locks, and my face nuzzling in them , almost kissing the neck.

This could not happen, it was her and she was here soundly asleep in my arms as I held her close, but that wasn't enough, I needed more, I needed her, and I needed her to know it.

Turning her around, I began kissing her, planting feather light kisses on her face, her eyes fluttered open and a sleepy smile graced her face, she was about to speak when I stopped her by putting my hand on her mouth, my lust was evidently on display, for her to see, she needed to know that she belonged to none but me, the chaste kisses morphed into open mouthed ones as I admired my possession , and soon my lips were on hers, she melted, arching into me, responding to my ministrarions, I pinned her hands above her head, she was mine to control, holding them in place with one of mine, I withdrew from the kiss that we were sharing, and she pouted, but she had to wait for the ultimate pleasure, as I moved towards her neck, biting the soft flesh, right above her pulse.

"Oau! Dimitri, control lover boy."

Hearing her voice, I stopped ,it as as if someone had dropped a bucket of cold water on me, and the harsh reality came crashing down, crushing me under it.

 _'This is wrong, this isn't me!'_

Aghast, I withdrew myself from the figure on the bed. My sudden actions confused her and when she turned, I saw bruises showing on her neck and face, her neck was dotted with bite marks and blood oozed from a ghastly looking wound on her shoulder.

I stood there frozen, closing my eyes.

"Dimitri !... Dimi..."

She had only begun speaking when I backed away from her. Turning away I started walking aimlessly, after a while I found myself in a dark room, shutting the door, I slumped against the wall and sank to my knees.

 _'It was all my fault, I was to blame, I had mistreated her,considered her my belonging, not a human, I hurt her, used her, wounded her._

 _I was a monster._

 _I didn't diserve to be forgiven.I deserved to die, to die a painful death, like the ones that I had inflicted on my poor victims. '_

My mind rebuked me.

' _I should be ashamed of myself, I did not deserve her, I didn't deserve her company, I didn't deserve her love or affection or her support and understanding .'_

Thinking about all that had occurred tonight, I felt guilty and disgusted with my own self.

I had let the hunger for power and dominance control me and had used Rose yet again.

I had enjoyed being all powerful when strigoi and was ashamed to acknowledge the fact that I missed the power and dominance after being restored, they existed before, a part of my father that I had worked very hard to reign in.

But after having experienced it once, I missed it, it was like a dull ache that rose its ugly head from time to time, making me loathe myself.

I didn't want to be like this, but I was at fault and I needed to be punished for it, probably it would help me overcome the vice.

It was logical indeed, and would probably help me heal my corrupted soul.

My mind recalled the various horrendous acts rather , the sins that I had committed to further the ongoing torture.

 _'I deserve to die!_

 _The world needs be freed from a monster like me!_

 _I only bring pessimism, degrade Rose, her reputation, add to her worries, worthless trouble is what I am!'_

Continued a voice in my mind, it was oddly similar to mine, but so very logical, calm and collected, that it confused me, was I in my mind, or was I becoming insane?

"Dimitri."

The word was spoken so softly, that I assumed that I had imagined it.

The slightest of touches on my shoulder made me flinch and I cowered into my shrunken form, willing myself to shrink into nothingness.

"Dimitri... please get up."

She said, her pleading tone clearly audible.

 _'I can't, I just can't, go away! I am not worth it.'_

When I didn't, her voice took the serious blank tone as that of a professional Guardian and she continued.

"Dimitri Belikov, youare requested to be up."

No answer.

"Dimitri... Please listen to me, just once... Dimitri!"

She pleaded

No movement.

"Dimitri, damn it get up now, and be the Guardian that you are, I want my Russian warlord back this moment."

Nothing could she do, was aThis was all my fault, I had hurt my Roza yet again. to make me reply.

All this while not once had I noticed that I now lay in the farthest corner of the room, on my side, curved into a ball, with both my hands over my years, and eyes firmly shut, blocking the outside world, suffering in silence.

It only came to me notice, when two small but firm hands, gripped me by the shoulder and made me sit up, my weight being supported by the wall.

I couldn't open my eyes and look up at her.

I was so very ashamed of my weakness!

I couldn't bear her politeness, I didn't deserve it, thus the hands still covered my ears as my head rested on my knees.

Rose said something but I didn't hear it.

So, she repeated.

"Dimitri, please look up, I need to see you, talk to me, please Dimitri, speak."

I removed my hands from my ears but I still couldn't bear to look at her.

She placed both her hands around my face, and urged me to look up.

I did and her face was as beautiful as ever unmarked captivating, no bite marks on her neck, no wound on her shoulder.

The deep brown orbs that now held sympathy for me still mesmerized, but I wasn't worth it. So I looked away. Rose was pure, unlike me.

"Please, talk to me, don't shut down, don't shut me out... I need to help you Dimitri, tell me and I will probably be able to help you, support you."

She said, her voice breaking.

Her words tugged at my heart, and words slipped out of my mouth as if it had a mind of it own.

" That is what I don't deserve Roza!... I don't deserve all this love... I don't deserve you... I deserve to die! I should have died! "

Her next move was fast as a strike of lightning, the sting of the slap, relieved me, I deserved it, I always hurt her. She deserved someone better than me! Not a broken corrupted soul.

She grabbed me by the collar of the shirt I had been wearing and said..

"I didn't go through that hell to have you dead on the inside Dimitri... I want my man back , the strong, determined young man who would fight against the world, just to favour all that was just, to protect the ones he loved.

That is you, you might be broken but I know you will emerge stronger , fiercer and more determined.

Please don't give up on yourself Dimitri, don't give up on us, you deserve better, we deserve better.

Tell me everything that is on your mind, troubling you, I'm gonna answer all of those, if not, we'll find the answers together. "

By the end of her speech she was in tears.

I had scared her and hurt her yet again, I was so selfish .

So I followed her advice and poured my heart out to her.

" I've hurt you so many times that I feel that I am a monster, I should not be loved. "

I began.

"That wasn't you Dimitri, it was a monster, this is you, loving and caring."

"No Roza, what happened today... What happened today was horrendous... Unacceptable... I had treated you like...I..I mistreated you... Degraded you."

"Dimitri it had been a dream, whereas it was all fine between us before you freaked out."

"Rose I felt like the souless monster yet again..."

On and on we went, I rambled, while she answered.

" I miss the power that came with being a strigoi. "

I admitted, atlast ashamed, expecting her to flip out, or be shocked .

" That's nothing wrong, you wielded the power, you earned it and thus had the taste of it, the craving for it can be managed, we have ways and our profession is good enough to satiate the craving.

You only need to forgive yourself and move on, it'll be hard but we'll make it work together. "

She assured, no judgement evident in attitude, ideas and gait.

She accepted me as I was damaged and broken and still loved me.

I didn't know what I had done to deserve her.

She sat on my lap, embracing me,holding me, calming me and supporting me, as I broke down letting her into the horrors of my mind.

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 _Thats all for today folks!_

 _I am glad to say that we have crossed a hundred reviews and I am so excited._

 _To the guests who review all I can say is thanks_ for stopping by and sharing your thoughts! It means a lot to me!

Alena Pfau: I am so glad that you liked the update! Thanks for reviewing!

 _This is now the longest chapter by far!_

 _This idea occurred to me suddenly, only hours ago, as I sat in my dark room listening to Linkin Parks 'leave out all the rest'. And couldn't resist putting it into words!!_

 _Do let me know of what you think of the chapter!_

 _I am reading a story called,_

 _' **Threshold of shadows'**_

 _By CrystalCucu-Mariarty._

 _If you aren't reading it, do give a chance, its really interesting a read, and I am enjoying it very much!!_

 _Have an amazing time ahead!_

 _-katnipsc ;)_


	19. chapter 19—sacrifices and guilt

This scene takes place around two years after Lissa's coronation.

The VA gang had been gathering at the court to celebrate Lissa's second coronation anniversary.

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The urgency with which our car came to a sudden hault, was enough to jerk Sydney awake.

"Eddie, is something wrong?"

She asked, carefully adjusting the sleeping form of Declan on the seat.

The probable worry that usually lurked under her usual facade broke through when she noticed the cause.

Hearing our conversation, even Adrian had woken up and shared our worried expression.

"Do you still have those charms with you Syd?"

I enquired, hoping for an affirmative answer, and as usual, Sydney didn't disappoint.

"I always keep atleast two handy, but since we were going on a trip, I made a few more, so we have around a dozen of them in this."

She concluded pulling out a handbag from the backseat. I had noticed that she carried it around most of the time and this time I was glad that she did.

A tree had fallen in the middle of the road, blocking the road to the court and the day had been fairly sunny, thus it was a trap and we had directly walked into it.

"Sydney, please call the court for back-up, its almost dark and we might be in quite a trouble.

Adrian, lock the doors and windows, stay in the car with Sydney and Declan.

And Sydney please don't engage until very necessary."

I stated taking a lead of the situation , expecting cooperation. They hesitantly nodded as I steped out of the car to remove the obstacle from our path, but as expected, we were not alone.

A snarl was heard and within moments the red eyed monster stalked towards us from the bushes. My stake clearly pierced though his heart with minutes of having engaged him, since the former moroi did little to save himself.

But that wasn't all, as two more strigois came into view, and I threw myself into the combat hoping for the help to arrive.

I was holding my own, until a third undead joined the fight and Sydney stepped in, but the charms served as mere distractions.

We had probably chanced upon a small group of the monsters, given the fact that we had to combat around seven of them.And even this big a pack present near the court, wasn't really a good news.

A hit on the back of my head, followed by two swift kicks to my torso, were enough to send me flying into a tree. A sickening crack was followed by my scream when a female strigoi twisted my right wrist and elbow at odd angles.

I was disappointed at my incapability to protect my charge, the only relief I experienced was the blurred sight of a brown duster, that swiftly headed towards us, before I passed out, hoping that Adrian, Sydney and Declan would pull through this, and Jill, Jill would have to move on.

When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see various familiar faces surrounding me!

Jill sat on the chair, her face tear streaked ,Lissa stood over her shoulder, supporting and comforting her, with worry marring her features. In her casual appearance anyone could hardly tell that she was the moroi queen.

Dimitri stood by the opposite wall, with Rose somewhat resting her head on his shoulders, Christian sat with Adrian and Sydney, just outside the room.

Declan was nowhere to be seen.

I really hadn't expected to make it through, I had only wished for Sydney, Adrian and Declan, to make it out alive.

And I was glad that they had.

These people here were the closest to a family, I had ever had and I would never stand their loss, not after Mason's.

The relief was immediate and my first words on gaining consciousness were,

"Thank you Dimitri! For saving them."

It was only a whisper but enough to catch the attention of the people around me as Dimitri's, Rose's and Christian's head shot up, from their positions.

Dimitri and Rose, nodded in acknowledgement. In moments like these it felt like they were two beings but one soul.

Lisaa noticed next and nudged Jill. Her eyes focused on me and the haunted look started to disappear, being replaced by her characteristic smile, which I so loved.

"You've grown taller."

I commented, trying to smile and guessed that I had been successful when she came and sat beside me on the hospital bed.

"Seven months since we had last seen each other, and this is what you choose to say first Castille?"

She replied, pretending to be angry and failing at it, when she just couldn't control her laughter.

Her laugh was infectious and soon every one around was smiling.

She seriously was the most amazing person that I had ever met! Amazing, mesmerizing and beautiful!

My Jilly bean!

"I see you are awake, I guessed, seeing the commotion. I'll have to check on you in half an hour so be warned, its not gonna be very pleasant."

Said Dr Olendzki, peeking her head in and then entering the room. I was both surprised and relived to see her there,she had treated us for years at the academy and, we really couldn't trust anybody more than her, for our treatment.

" Well, she had been our family doctor, before having joined the academy and even after that it has always been her treating me, so once I was Queen, I requested her to work here, and thus here she is."

Supplied Lissa sensing my curiosity.

"So how bad is it?"

Rose beat me at asking her.

"Not really good, two broken ribs, a conclusion, a dislocated shoulder,a cracked elbow and a broken wrist."

Answered Dr Olendzki somberly,

" its gonna take a while for you to heal completely Eddie... See you later. "

She concluded, before leaving the room.

" Glad to see you're here mate! "

Christian greeted, smirking. He, soon left tagging Lissa along, both after having bidden their farewells, with a promise to be back soon.

" How long had I been out? "

I asked, no one in particular.

"Two days."

Answered Rose.

So, now I understood why Jill looked so disheveled. Thus I requested her to rest, eat and then be back later.

Unwillingly she left, I was then glad, that Rose was a master manipulater and had convinced her to do it.

And once she was gone, everything became awkward.

Sydney and Adrian, greeted me and I only nodded in reply, I couldn't get myself to look at them.I had been at fault here, not them, they had been the victims.

It was only Rose who kept the conversation going on, for a while next as we all made awkward small talk.

Adrian and Sydney left soon then,stating that they had to go look after Declan, and see that he hadn't harassed Neil a lot, leaving Rose, Dimitri and me in the room, as I breathed a sigh of relief.

It was quiet then, looking up I noticed a conversation passing between Rose and Dimitri, they didn't need words, looks were enough.

I hoped that Jill and I would be like them someday , a half of the other, so in tune to each other that looks would be enough for us to converse, sometimes I agreed with Adrian, when he said Dimitri and Rose shared a great bond, but I didn't agree when he mentioned that Dimitri was completely whipped!

Thinking about Adrian brought back all the guilt that had somewhat been subdued so long. I had failed him and Sydney.

Poor Declan would have been alone, yet again, he would be so disappointed in me. His Uncle Ed had lost a major combat against the beings he had been trained to fight, for all his life. I let everyone down.

Rose, Dimitri, Adrian, Sydney, Jill even Daniella.

She would have been horrified at my incapability, she had only started warming up to me now, after years and now I had broken her trust.

My internal rant was interrupted by Rose's words.

"Hey, Eddie, I'll go grab something to eat, hope you and Dimitri enjoy catching up with each other."

She said, a bit too merrily, leaving the room something in her posture alarmed me, she knew something, or something was up. This was planned, not sudden.

Moments later, Dimitri broke the silence, he had been very quiet for so long and I had almost not expected him to speak to me, afterall I had been nothing more than a disappointment to him.

"You did good."

He said sincerely, sitting down on the chair beside my bed, where Jill had been previously seated.

"Do you know how many strigois you took down?"

He asked.

"No, I dont really remember anything clearly, just that I had to save everyone."

I replied.

"And I failed at it."

I said to myself, not realizing that I had spoken out loud.

"Four."

He said.

"Huh? "

I grunted. I didn't really remember anything but the guilt.

"You killed four strigois Eddie. You did a fine job of protecting your charge."

Dimitri stated confidently.

"No, I collapsed in mid fight, I endangered everyone around, I had been careless, had you not arrived they would have... Died."

I said, expressing my guilt, my disappointment.

"When Ivan had died, I had been guilty for months... , I had considered it my fault, my failure in keeping him safe... I wasn't even present at the place. I arrived just in time to kill the strigoi who inturn had sent Ivan on deathbed."

He said after a moment of silence.

" He had been my best friend for years and then my charge, the very first... We were more like partners, like brothers and I had failed him... I can very well say that my absence killed him. "

He concluded with a bitter laugh.

"But... But you said that you weren't there,... Thus its not your fault, not really."

I replied.

"Guardian Castille, you had been very much present with your charge, during the attack.

You had the presence of mind to call for the backup when you deemed it necessary, you alone combatted six stigois, killing four of them.

There had been seven on the scene, I killed the other three. "

He said, shocking me. And coming from him, it seemed like a compliment. I had ended four lives and I would have to live with the guilt of it, but I probably had not been too bad in protecting my charge.

I replied feeling a tad bit better.

" I now understand, thank you for discussion it with me, Guardian Belicov ."

"Its our life Castille, charges, hospitals and the sacrifices we make,because they come first."

He said, cocking his head to a side, his expressions said nothing, but I guess he was deep in thought, probably wondering about his former charge.

"They saw you try, they know you gave you best, so don't be guilty facing, Sydney or Adrian.They are aware of your sincerity and dedication "

He said answering the questions in my mind,and I was glad that he cared to mention it. The worry had been gnawing at me.

I smiled at his words, they had relieved me, but something in Dimitri had changed, he stood up stiffer than before and his Guardian mask was in place making it hard for me to guess his thoughts.

The solution for this problem came as Rose, no sooner had she entered the room, Dimitri seemingly relaxed and a smile graced his features.

Her words seemed lighten him up.

And the realization dawned upon me, Dimitri was whipped, and,

Adrian was so right!

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 _Here it is folks as promised!_

Another one of the longer updates.

 _Thanks for all the reviews, favourites, follows and views do keep them coming, they encourage me to write more!_

 _If you haven't read works by_

 _ **Llaria6**_

I sincerely suggest you to read them. _Do try ! They are awesome, I am currently reading one of her works and its great!_

 _Know about another great fanfic, do let me know._

 _Have an amazing time ahead. ;D_

 _-katnipsc :)_


	20. chap 20-Pumpkins, Lanterns and Spirits!

_Background - The members of the gang celebrating Halloween and St. Varvara's day throughout the years._

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"AaaaaaaaaaHhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Guaaaardian Smiiiiiiiiiith, heeelp me!!"

Said Jessie as he ran towards the matrons desk.

Two hours ago...

Aunt Tasha sent me to the academy against my will, I was viewed as a traitor-to-be, at the court. She had said that it will be better here and people would treat me fairly.

I've only been here for a month and its bad enough.

Transferring in the middle of the academic year was odd and then my history didn't help in cases other than making me an outcast, or that is what it feels like.

Anybody seldom speaks to me, they are all wary, rude and ungrateful. No one really seems to notice my presence. Its almost as if I am a ghost floating from a place to the other. So, that is what I decided to be today. I guess the costume would be the only one suitable other than that of ' the Count Dracula'.

Smiling, I set to work, choosing the dull white bedsheet to be a fair material to begin with.

An hour later I stood in front of the mirror, contemplating about my appearance, and wondering if I would be able to win the' Junior's Halloween Costume Competition' .

The bedsheet had been a great material to draw on, the mouth resembled a big black 'o', the round black eyes had small holes to help me see through them , and the sheet covered me from head to toe. I finally concluded that I could only be sure of how good a job I had done, if I only succeeded in scaring someone away, since that is what ghosts did.

Hiding behind the pillar in the decorated corridor, I waited for my victim, and minutes later, heard someone hurrying down the passage, towards me.

Forming a controlled flame under the sheet, I stepped out from behind the pillar, speaking gravely,

"ooooooooooohhhhh!"

Only to see Jessie stop in his tracks , turn paler, stutter something incoherent and then, flee, calling for help, assuring me that my hard work had paid off.

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"Mia, its your turn, truth or dare?"

Asked Charlotte.

She looked cute in the fairy outfit, her parents had gifted her this Halloween.

"Mia, pick one!"

She said, breaking the silence.

"I choose dare!"

I replied.

Regretting the words as soon as they were out of my mouth.

"Three years together at the academy and finally here we have Mia, attempting a dare!"

Said Charlotte with a grand flourish!

"I'll suggest...I'll say..."

Said Emily bouncing up and down with excitement.

Everyone agreed to her proposal and I was given the task of etching an 'M', on the tree that stood approximately in the middle of the cemetery beside the academy building.

I couldn't ignore or turn down anything they said, since I had to remain in their good books, it would help Mama and Papa in their jobs. Thus, I nodded agreeing and left.

The cemetery has always creepy to me, the place has a vibe that warns others to keep away.

I had always kept my distance , until today, and yet am terribly afraid, given the fact that it is the Halloween today.

The eerieness adds to my nervousness as I look for the tree in the cemetery, its quiet, except the occasional hooting of an owl, the moonlight helps me find my way and at a distance, I see a figure, beckoning to me.

Approaching near the figure, I realised that I knew her, she was Guardian McCarthy. Last year she had been reallocated to court duties, and she had probably arrived to strengthen the security at academy while some royal Morois visited.

"What are you doing here child?"

She asked.

"Lost my way Guardian McCarthy!

I was with my friends at the festival but somehow ended up here. Would you please help me return? "

I replied, playing innocent.

"So, you know me?"

She asked with an amused smile.

"Yes, I do, I saw you at the academy."

I replied chirpily.

"Good, follow me child, lets go back."

She stated happily, gesturing me to follow her, as she lead me towards the academy, when the campus came in sight, she stopped.

"Go ahead child, return to the academy and be careful from now onwards."

She offered politely.

"Won't you come with me, or to the festival?"

I asked, knowing well that I really shouldn't have mentioned it, since it wasn't my place to speak , but couldn't help it, I had admired her for a long time and she had been nothing but polite so far.

"No child, I am still on duty."

She said, urging me to return.

"Did you do it."

Emily asked, as soon as I entered the room.

"Nope."

I replied, dejected.

"But. Why?"

She whined.

"You remember Guardian McCarthy? She caught me.

So, I pretended to be lost, and she lead me back to the academy grounds."

I stated flatly.

"Mia, accept the fact that you freaked out. Its not possible that Guardian McCarthy of all people, lead you back."

Said Charlotte.

"I'm not. She did. Why would you think that I'll lie?"

I asked, offended at being called a liar.

"Because, the cemetery lies outside the wards, and thus has no Guardians patrolling it, and the fact that Guardian McCarthy died, in a Strigoi attack, just outside the court grounds, a few months ago."

Supplied Emily, in her as-a-matter-of-fact tone. Not helping my situation.

" How can you be so sure?"

I asked, the quiver in my voice signified my nervousness.

"My mother was one of the victims."

She stated, leaving no place for arguments.

As the reality set in, I couldn't really believe all that had happened. I couldn't decide how to react, should I be happy, sad, afraid, confused, horrified?

Never would I return to the cemetery grounds nor would I forget tonight, was all I could conclude.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Boys, this is an important moment!"

She said, empathizing on the last two words.

"Finally, after waiting for the past four years, we are now eligible to participate in the scavenger hunt, so I want to set the bar high even for the seniors, we are gonna win it, alright?"

She said, ending her speech in the form of a question.

" But Rose we've already been participating every year. "

I said, confused.

" Yes, but that was some excellent example of bending the rules, by me Eddie. This time we are eligible. Officially allowed to participate."

She stated enthusiastically.

"Don't you think that its bad for us, since they'll even be keeping an eye on us?"

I questioned.

"And yes, don't you remember, this hunt is the greatest annual , unofficial, sort of illegal organized activity at the academy. "

Supplied Mason, grinning.

"You really aren't helping Ashford."

Said Rose grinning and punching Mason lightly on his arm, before adding,

"Answer me boys, are we ready?"

"Yes."

We replied in unison, as we set out to collect the required items on the list, our plan was simple, collect the easily available items first and look for the scoring ones later.

I really hadn't been in a mood to participate this year, since the event had been preponed due to the arrival of queen Tatiana, in a few weeks for the inauguration of the new training section that was being added to the academy thus enhancing the training.

Halloween wasn't really fun since the next day was my birthday and no one ever remembered it. Not even Aunt Joanna.

I didn't hope for anything special, but I missed mom and dad on the day, since they had a habit of wishing me first, right at midnight. Their jesture was something that I recalled with much fondness and its loss left an aching hole in my heart.

I wasn't the only one at the academy with such a history but it hurt no less.

Rose and Mason were the pillars of my current life and they had had no trouble convincing me to join them.

When the hunt ended, we were declared the winner. The joy was short lived since the day came to an end and melancholy threatened to take over me.

I headed back to my dorm room hoping to sleep the gloom away, but something was different, the door to my room was open and it alarmed me, hoping for the best, I stepped into the room, it was dark and no sooner had I switched on the lights, Rose and Mason started singing...

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Eddie! Happy birthday to you! May..."

They sat on my unmade bed clapping like seals, trying to hide something behind them. The picture was almost comical but the moment was heart touching!

My friends for only a year and not only did they remember my birthday, but also wished me. And this very gesture of theirs made them special to me.

While I stood like a fool staring at them, utterly surprised, they moved apart to reveal a board game set that I had so longed for not over a month ago.

"How did you do it? ... Its for... me?... How.? ... Why?... Nice!... You guys!..."

I was at a loss of words.

"Yup, yours, the scavenger hunt."

They replied, grinning like cheshire cats!

And to say the least it was by far the best (belated) Halloween I had ever had.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

We had been taught that living outside the wards was extremely dangerous, a constant threat to our lives, since we never knew of all that might happen next.

It even endangered the secrecy of our kind, so we moroi tended to live together, generally at the court, in colonies or at the academies.

The day Rose and I had fled from the academy, with very meagre of our belongings, we had given little thought to how things would play out, we were scared, but even desperate, it was clear in Roses eyes as she had urged me to hurry up and head away.

I trusted her with my life and so now we were here, at Regina's house nearly a year after our sudden disappearance from the academy, celebrating Halloween. We moved quickly from place to place, from town to town, city to city, she made the plan to move and ensured my security, while I ensured that there remained no trail of our presence, ever. Compulsion, was all I could help us with.

Regina here, thought that we were childhood friends, and thus had invited us, I had convinced Rose to loosen a bit up, as we picked up our dresses from the rental shop, it had taken a while to dress up, but we looked cute together in our fairy outfits.

The party was being held in the garden behind Regina's house, and the place had been decorated beautifully with fairy lights, lanterns, fake ghosts and several more things. Out in the human world just for a year, I had seen several amazing things, that I had been missing while at the academy.

It wouldn't be wrong to say that this move on Rose's part had greatly helped me overcome the grief of losing mum, dad and Andre.

"Hey Lissa, Rose here join us."

Said Peter beckoning us towards a big group of people from the school.

Nearing them we realized it was a game.

Bobbing for apples.

Rose had the spark in her eyes that said that she would be acing the challenge. No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than Rose smirked and headed into the crowd.

"Make space folks, the champion is here."

And like fish takes to water, Rose caught the apples, bobbing her head in and out of the water, winning the games, thus winning a cute brown teddy!

"Liss, this ones for you!"

She stated jovially handing me the teddy bear, her prize! Looking behind me, her eyes caught something and holding me by the shoulders , she turned me around,

"And there's the thing you are gonna enjoy."

She said, pointing towards the side where several people sat carving pumpkins.

We tasted various candies, the group went tick or treating, the costume competition that was held was interesting enough and we held the joint seconds, the grins were plastered on our faces all of the evening and we were giddy with excitement.

Our bubble burst when Shane fished out his camera and started snapping pictures and the first one was of me and Rose giggling, and then there were several more, his camera was of the kind that immediately printed the photographs.

It was an action enough to snap Rose into het Guardian mode, as she hounded him and snatched all the photographs from him.

As usual she would burn them later erasing evidence.

That evening when we returned home, we came to the conclusion that it was time to move on, packing our belongings, we left.

Rose had created a small fire in the secluded corner of an alley, to burn the images. She quietly stretched her hands out towards me, asking me for the photographs, it was the part, she knew, I hated the most.

"I want to keep them Rose, I want to remember this evening it was some fun we had after a long time, lets just keep this bunch."

I requested sadly.

"Sorry, Liss if we aren't careful enough, and forget even one of these somewhere, it would be troublesome and cause a lot of problems for us."

She stated, a longing was evident, but her protective instincts were far stronger.

Tears filled my eyes, and I could see her resolve break.

" Alright! Alright! Liss stop crying, please, here choose two. "

She said, handing me the photographs.

" three, please, three. "

I bargained.

" Fine.."

She agreed.

I picked the three, all of Rose and me together, and one was specifically pretty with us in our costumes, while she burnt the rest of the pictures to ashes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So Guardians, your positions have been assigned and are mentioned in the sheet you have been given , as you are aware we'll be keeping a close eye on the novices, trying to locate the ones participating in the traditional scavengers hunt.

The locks will be changed tomorrow after the curfew begins, thus loss of keys wouldn't be a major problem , but please make sure that you have the master key with yourselves at all the times, since heaven only knows, when you might just find yourself locked up or stuck up sometime today.

Our aim would be to prevent any major or permanent damage today. I also request you to be careful with your belongings until we posess a copy of the list of the items to be collected.

In order to keep a close eye on the students, some of you have been assigned ' in-costume shift' ,the term has been included on the top left corner of your respective sheet if you've been chosen.

It implies that, you'll be dressed up, in any costume you like, and you have three hours to come up with the idea and inform me.

Any questions regarding the matter can be put forth now."

Said Alberta, almost concluding her speech, waiting for any queries, since there were none, she continued.

" All major problems, and emergencies are to be directly reported to me and it is to be made sure that headmistress Kirova isn't disturbed, being unwell she has decided to stay in her unit for the day.

Thank you for for cooperation and dedication."

She concluded.

My first shift had gotten over minutes ago, and the next wasn't until the celebrations began, so I had decided to start with a new book, after going through the package that Alberta had given us.

After a quick shower, I settled down on my bed with the book and the package on my lap.

On opening, the package revealed the pages containing the schedule that had been fixed for me, the places I was required to cover, the time for the shift a gist of the event and what was expected of us.

The two coupons that fell out of the package revealed that, as a reward for the Guardians, a buffet would be held in the Guardian lounge, and for the next 24 hours, it would serve two meals for every Guardian on campus.

My eyes finally landed on the top let corner of the page, where the words, 'In-costume shift' had been printed in bold.

I hadn't really guessed that Alberta would pick me for the in-costume guarding, but now that she had, instead of worrying , all I could think of was the Stetson hat, that was kept on the uppermost rack of my closet.

The grin that formed on my face was a reminder of all that had happened the last time I had worn it.

Vika had sent the costume along with me, as a joke, but my poor sister had little idea of the fact that it didn't irritate me, it made me happy and so it was decided.

I would dress up as a sheriff.

I informed Guardian Petrov not much later, and emerged from my dorm room only ten minutes before my shift was to start,( I had spent quite some time trying to guess Rose's reaction to this attire of mine and the nuke that this would be in her arsenal of jokes,) only to bump into the head Guardian of the campus , dressed in a casual attire, with an apron and a chef cap in her hands.

I nodded acknowledging her presence. Seeing me dressed, a half smile graced her tired face.

"You can definitely compete for a position in the competition, Sheriff Belikov."

She said finally smiling widely , but the crook of her brows suggested that she was thinking about something.

I was about to head away for my shift, when she stopped me, and produced a gold pocket watch from under her apron.

" When you informed me about your costume, I thought, it would suit. Take it, I have plenty. "

She stated, urging the watch into my hand.

"Hmmm. It suits, the costume is complete, and more western than the ones you wear most of the time."

She concluded casually , after having seen me fix the watch suitably as a part of my costume, rendering me speechless, as she departed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I hadn't thought that I'd ever be celebrating another Halloween at St. Vladimirs academy, it was three years ago that I had graduated from this institution, and here I was today, yet again, on the occasion of Halloween, roaming around the halls aimlessly, with Eddie in tow.

We had finished our shifts around half an hour ago and had the rest of the day to ourselves, Eddie had bumped into me at the Guardian office where we both had reported to sign ourselves off duty.

It hadn't required him to convince me, when he suggested that we take a look around the place that we had spent years growing up in. We had been familiar with every nook and cranny, the secret passages had been a mystery to us, but now we had free access, so no secrets for us.

It was calming to reclaim the familiarity we had once had, there had been little to no changes made, and we were glad to notice it.

It was on the third floor that we made our way towards our respective old rooms, and I was surprised to find someone residing in there.

The door was ajar and soft music was being played within, I didn't think of knocking, before I trespassed into ( what had once been) my room.

Instead of surpising the resident, I heard the door slam shut as a fragile hit landed on my lower back, on turning I noticed a young girl with dark brown hair, a determined expression and a classic witch's attire, attack me again,and I simply blocked.

Her actions made me realise that she had much potential, but seeing something she stopped altogether .

"You... You are a part of the visiting Royal Guards."

She stated stuttering and then quickly composed herself, when I nodded on affirmation.

"You guys are actually good."

She commented neutrally.

"You mention it as if you were doubting the fact."

I replied.

"Kind of."

She mumbled, and then perked up continuing,

"I had to see it for myself, thus I attacked you.I had to see if you people are as good as they say. "

She concluded trying to appear calm and cool.

The slight movement under the bed alerted me about the presence of another soul in the room.

"You can come out."

I spoke loudly.

A blonde slim moroi, came to stand beside the damphir, these two reminded me of the younger selves if Lissa and me.

"Would you report us? "

Asked the damphir girl warily.

"Not today. I am off duty."

I replied smiling.

"I am Louisa. Guardian...?"

The moroi said unsure about continuing her words.

" Rose."

I supplied.

The eyes of the damphir girl widened, as she tried to mask her suprise, and non-chalantly stretched her hand out towards me, saying,

" Thank you, Guardian Hathaway. I am Rosalinda. "

Later, asking her to take care of my room I left in search of Eddie.

I caught him standing behind the pillar near Mason's room frantically rubbing his eyes, trying to remove the evidence of his moment of weakness.

A silent agreement passed between us as we headed towards the cemetery.

Seeing the stone that said,

'here lies Mason Ashford, a protector, a friend, a beloved member of the family, lost before time.'

Made my heart ache, the guilt still remains as does the melancholy and it was in moments as such that I started loathing myself all over again.

But today was going to be different, it was halloween and it would always remain to be the best of the times we had ever had, so grabbing a melancholic Eddie I headed towards our secret spot.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was great to see them here again. It had been a while since they had visited the academy, and I have to say that though it was different, it was good.

They rocked in their official Guardian attire as much and as well as they upheld their duties.

My best friends are now respected and dear to many, and have found love in their lives , there was nothing more that I could have ever wished for them, and they deserved it.

I was sad to see them all gloomy, missing me. I was right here, always, to help and support them in an way possible.

It broke my heart to see the stoic Eddie lose his composure or the ever snarky Rose lose her attitude. I hated seeing them this vulnerable, all for me, thus I was curious when I saw Rose drag Eddie towards our secret hideout.

Its was a natural formation of rocks, resembling a hollow cove, hidden by bushy outgrowth.

We often hid and shared our treasures and spoils of the war, there. We three had spent hours there, talking, bantering and just hanging out

It was our place, where we found solace.

We hadn't visited it eversince Rose and Lissa had returned.

"It has been quite a while."

Commented Eddie, voicing my thoughts.

"It has."

Repeated Rose.

"Its time we dig those time capsules out. I can't wait to see what he had for me."

She stated.

Years ago we had each buried a box containing items for ourselves as well as the other two, and Rose had remembered about them.

Digging out the boxes, she opened them.

"That's mine."

Eddie commented.

"That's his and this was for you."

He said handing Rose a key ring of the flower she had been named after.

"Thats not fair Castille! After all this time!"

Rose said, lightly smacking him on the head.

Moving back to digging, she came up with another box, stating that it was hers. She handed Eddie a batch, as they burst out laughing.

The batch said, 'prefect' and on top it was written 'perfect', with a marker, in Rose's handwriting . It had been our joke when poor Eddie had unwillingly been elected as the prefect in our junior years.

They sobered as Rose dug up the last box, it was mine.

They opened it to find a picture of me and Rose from the day we had participated in the school marathon, and a dried flower was taped to it, signifying, who it belonged to.

Another was a picture of Eddie and me from the first party we had attended together, in the almost abandoned lounges on the third floor of the academy. Behind it was written, ' for Guardian Castille.'

Both Rose and Eddie stood frozen for a while, before quietly heading towards the cemetery once again.

On my tomb they lay a picture of all three of us, it was mine, from my capsule, Eddie put a pack of cards, they were all handmade I noticed, custom made for me. And Rose put a red jumping ball and two pens, these were the items that had caused by us to become rivals and then the best of friends, it had laid the foundation of what we were.

A stray tear rolled down her cheek as she tried hard to maintain the smile, while Eddie had given up all pretense of joy and simply looked away, trying to hide his emotions.

"Guys give it a rest. Its Halloween, time to eat the pies, and chocolates, stop making me sad here and go enjoy."

I said forgetting that they could never hear me, but to my surprise, both of them snapped to attention looking my way.

"Ducky! You... ! You idiot! You had been around listening us wallow! Why didn't you speak up earlier!"

Rose snapped, sobbing and smiling all at once,she moved closer to where I was, and I realized that she could see me again.

"We've missed you Ashford."

Commeted Eddie with a sad smile.

"We opened the capsules."

He continued, gesturing towards the things, as I nodded and smiled.

"How can we see you Mase?"

Rose finally asked, and I could only shrug, since even I was unaware , yet just glad that it had happened . It was Eddie, who proposed the most probable answer.

"Because its Halloween!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That's all for today folks.

By far the longest of all the chapters. This one shot has been cross posted from the VA10thanniversaryproject's Halloween compilation. If you haven't yet read it, go check it out. Its awesome!

Have an amazing time ahead!

-Katnipsc ;)


	21. chapter 21-an unexpected Christmas!

It was the twenty third of December and for the first time in forever I had already completed my Christmas shopping for the year.

Gifts, packings, everything had been done and instead of hurrying out of my shift as I had been doing for the past two years, I calmly made my way towards our apartment. It felt like Dimitri was finally rubbing off on me.

Our vacations began from today, or rather did our duty, it depended on the way one saw it. The shift for the day had only been four hours long, as long as Lissa had been in office.

We had decided to finally decorate our home today,for we had been planning for weeks now. It was more like Lissa had been, and it was time to put it in place, she was now officially on vacation from her office until the new year, (except for the speeches that she'd have to make for her people as the queen, on the days of Christmas and New Year.)

We were happy, since we could finally have some free time together and the fact that we could be ourselves again, best friends, sisters and a crazy pair .

Dimitri and I had now fallen into a tradition of our own, we enjoyed the homey comfy feeling of the festivies surrounded by our beloved family members.

It was the greatest of gifts that we could have ever had, and we treasured every moment of this hard earned but well appreciated life.

"Liss eat. You haven't had anything for the past six hours."

"Have you fed?"

"Anything that I could get you? Anything that I could do?"

I kept badgering her.

"Rose, do you think this would look well, or should I put up the golden ones?"

She asked.

Looking around, I couldn't find a fault.

"Liss, its perfect you've done a great job, its beautiful."

I answered honestly.

"Are you sure?"

She asked.

"Yup."

I added without a second thought.

Squealing, she hugged me tight.

"Do you know what this means?"

She exclaimed joyously, confusing me.

"Nope."

I croaked cautiously, looking around to gather some idea or the hint of what was to come next, but it wasn't of great help.

"Its time to decorate our Christmas tree!"

She exclaimed, ecstatic about the idea.

It were these words that brought back memories of years we had spent doing the same at her place.

It was our tradition, mine and Lissa's. We always had our own small tree, (which for the past two years, hadn't been small at all) that we decorated together. It was fun and one of the things that added to my Christmas Spirits.

By the time we were done, it was already night and Lissa was exhausted from the work that we had done, she was already fast asleep on her couch, and as I was tucking her in sparky approached, requesting to handle things from there on.

I was greatful for his interference as I had been longing to see Dimitri after the long day, but it was not that I was going to let him know about this.

The boys had been upto something since they had been out of our sight for the entire day even after being on a vacation as us, I'd have to look into that soon, I thought making my way towards my apartment.

Opening the door, I was welcomed by a dark room and delicious aroma, if I wasn't mistaken, it was that of cookies and black bread. It reminded me of my days at the Dragomirs, where Rhea went on a full fledged baking spree, a month before Christmas making the entire home smell delicious. She was, who we called our cookie angel, who offered us, two of her cookies for every good thing we did. The days that they were!

I stood there in the dark, lost in nostalgia when strong arms wrapped around me, the warm welcoming embrace comforting me, helping me relax.

"Why is it so dark comrade, working on night vision are we?"

I asked smirking, faking confidence , trying to hide the sadness, that was killing my mood.

Dimitri didn't need to see my face to know what I was feeling, he turned me to face himself, and hugged me tightly.

" It'll be all right. "

He said. Not asking any questions only assuring me that it'll be fine.

"You'll feel better soon. Close your eyes and don't open them until I say."

He said, releasing me from his embrace and returned soon enough.

Placing a light kiss on my forehead, he asked me to open my eyes and when I did, I was surprised.

"This is ours?"

I asked, after coaxing my mind to form words, it was beautifully done. I was in awe. And thus had been standing there surprised.

"You don't like it."

He stated. He didn't sound angry or disappointed, just... Emotionless, I realised. Looking at him, I saw something in him, kind of deflate, it was like something... joy, happiness or content just fade from his eyes.He was trying to hide the hurt, by pulling on his Guardian mask.

Not giving myself a chance to think of the consequences or his reaction, I proceeded to ease the pain I had been causing him.

Discarding my shoes, I stood on the couch, beside which he was standing, looped my arms around his neck and leaned down to kiss him, it was moments before he gave in and I could see him relax, breaking away from the kiss,and pulling his hair tie out of his hair, I lifted his face, demanding him to look at me, and when he did, I stated most sincerely.

"No, I didn't like it, I loved it, and I am in awe, awe of you Belicov , your capabilities, your fierceness and your care, your love and your handsome face."

When I stopped , we were almost nose to nose, we hadn't realized that we had been leaning towards each other and I saw him break into a breathtaking smile moments before his lips crushed mine.

\--o--

The next morning, I woke to the grumbling of my stomach, Dimitri lay beside me smiling.

"It seems that I need to feed my woman."

He said, bringing a breakfast tray to me.

I seriously doubted the fact that I had done something as good as to deserve him, he always knew all I wanted and never missed, my man was actually a god.

Smiling I sat up, went to clean myself and soon returned with a great smile on my face, I was very excited to give Dimitri the present I had brought for him, it had taken me a while to figure it out, but his care and love made me want to do better and be better for him.

We had the breakfast, and cuddled together admiring the amazing decorations that Dimitri and sparky had put up, they had cooked up a ton of cakes and cookies and made baskets to gift along with the presents, the boys had actually been working hard.

Everything was fine until a sharp pain caused me to curl up on my bed clutching my stomach.

"Ahhgg!"

I sucked in a breath to ease myself.

"Roza...! Roza!.. ... What happened?.. Rose?"

"Rose, please say something... Rose!"

He asked confused.

I was used to pain, training and the practical job of mine required me to have a tolerance for pain, but this wasn't expected and the element of surprise shocked me.

It receded as soon as it had come and on relaxing, I noticed a worried Dimitri hovering around me. He had panicked and tried to ask me, but I had been too distracted to answer.

"It was nothing. I am..." breathing heavily "fine."

I tried to console him, but he had caught on my act, nothing could fool him.

Seconds later another pang, but this time I didn't show it.

Dimitri had been studying my emotions and guessed the change.

"No you're not."

He said, snuggling with me and wrapping me in a loose embrace. He then called Carina Smith, one of the alchemists who now worked as a doctor at the moroi court, thanks to Sydney, under whose influence several alchemists were branching out of their traditional beliefs and working with morois.

Arriving soon, Carina declared that I was suffering from a stomach bug.

"Carina, damphirs don't really fall sick that easily."

I whined.

"No, they don't, but its not unheard of."

She stated sincerely.

"Let's hunt for the cause now shall we, Rose."

She added with a slight smirk.

Oh boy, she wasn't going to do that to me, not now. Seeing my expression her smile widened.

Months ago when Carina had first arrived at court, she had been surprised by my capability to eat and, the amount of junk food that I consumed nearly shocked her out of her wits. When she had tried to talk some sense into me, I had brushed her off stating that it couldn't really affect my health. I was the sole one in the group who didn't agree to her facts about health and not follow the health routine she had charted for us. It irked her but she couldn't help it. Now was her turn to drag me in and Dimitri would be on her side as well!

"When was the last time you had eaten?" she asked.

"Yesterday morning. "

I replied and Dimitri's eyes widened as he looked up at me shocked.

"What had you eaten and from where? "

She continued.

"A couple of donuts, some chips, fried bacon and a chocolate milkshake, from the canteen ."

I replied guiltily.

Dimitri was now in what I called his mentor mode, serious, agitated but calm and thinking, whereas Carina only seemed irritated.

Carina voiced her concern and handed Dimitri a prescription.

"You shouldn't really do that to yourself Rose, I wouldn't have taken you for being so careless, but what shocks me is that these facts aren't enough to justify your sickness. Here's the prescription for the required medicines and you should recover in no time but until then I would advise you to avoid junk food and suggest to go on a light and healthy diet. "

She stated kindly, it was different to see the free girl transform into a kind sincere doctor.

" Dimitri. "

I called for my man when Carina had left.

He returned with a glass of fresh fruit juice in his hands.

Seeing the confusion written clearly across my face he stated.

"Until the vacation ends, I'll be taking care of your eating habits."

"In other words, you'd be babysitting me the entire vacation."

I said grumpily.

I liked it when Dimitri cared for me, but I could care for myself, he really didn't need to worry about me all the time.

And as always Dimitri knew what to say to soothe me.

" Milaya I know that you can take care of yourself and that you're a grown up, an amazing woman but doing this helps me cope with the situation, helps me realize that I am not completely useless... "

His next words were rudely interrupted when I jumped up from my place and went to tower over him by standing on the bed.

" Dare not say that you are useless, Dimitri, never. "

I said.

" Looks like you enjoy towering over me, don't you Roza? "

He joked, smiling.

"Thanks for everything Roza."

He added, surprising me with a tender hug. He now felt like a child who had been given what he desired. His words echoed the relief he felt, I guess my little episode had scared Dimitri far more than he let on.

Later that night I developed a fever and soon began the vomiting, I couldn't keep in anything that I had consumed and Dimitri was worried to no end. Carina had been informed, and when she visited she stated that it was a bad case of food poisoning. The headaches that developed killed my mood and as I drifted off to sleep, all I could think of was the fact that this wasn't how I had planned the day before Christmas to play out.

\--o--

"Merry Christmas, milaya."

I awoke to Dimitri crooning in my ears.

"How do you feel?"

He asked.

"Think that you'd be able to eat something?"

He added casually trying to maintain his calm.

"Much better, comrade, and yes I'd like that, some cakes and cookies perhaps?"

I stated wiggling my eyebrows.

"Not now, not that."

He said bringing over a small tray full of items one would consider healthy.

It was then I noticed that he was completely washed and dressed.

"Ready for the Christmas action are we comrade?"

I joked.

He smiled urging me to have the breakfast, being the ever persistent boyfriend, he even had the same items for breakfast to help me feel better.

"What time is it?"

I asked halfway through the meal.

His answer shocked me.

"Why did you let me sleep in? Why didn't you wake me up earlier? Oh no!"

I whined throwing the covers off me and rushing into the hall worrying about the fact that I had missed it, but found Lissa and sparky having breakfast and both like me were still in their pajamas and Lissa even had her furry bunny slippers on.

" Merry Christmas, Rose, Dimitri!"

Exclaimed Lissa happily!

Christian grunted and mumbled something unintelligent.

Dimitri was hot on my heels, and stopped in the hall, looking amused.

"Rose, Lissa knew that you were sick, so she decided to wait for you to wake up, before opening the gifts."

He said.

I sat down on the couch exhausted, with an exaggerated "hummphhh!".

"Come here you guys, all, come here."

I ordered.

Lissa came at once and soon followed Dimitri, Christian had to be coaxed but joined in nonetheless as I surprised them with a group hug.

"I love you all."

I stated a little emotional, as they very courteously replied and we hurried to open the gifts after exchanging our greetings.

It was the grand event of the day, the highlight of the month and I absolutely loved every moment of it.

I had once heard the priest state that Christmas was important as it helped us relfect on things most important or valuable to us, our family, our faith our freedom and various other things, but it was now that I realized the actual meaning of his words.

(Somewhere in the court...)

"She is still alive, I gave you one job and you couldn't even complete it..."


	22. chap 22- an unexpected Christmas part 2

_23rd December :_

"How many loaves of black bread have you made, Dimitri?"

Christian asked ,wrapping the last of the cookies, in small colourful pouches.

"Five."

I answered.

Two were for Christian and Lissa and the rest for us. I could hardly wait to see Roza's reaction to this, I hoped that it would make her happy.

It had been two years since we had come out as a couple at court. It was hard at first, Rose adjusting to the presence of her parents, recovering from the gunshot injuries, losing the bond, my nightmares, the fear of me losing control, the reminders of my days as strigoi in day to day life, the snark expressed by morois and the general attitude of all towards our relation and other things, but we had come over all of it, trying to make best of the situation and all that we had.

Our first Christmas hadn't been very eventful, I had angered Roza, but our first Christmas as a couple had been gorgeous, it was homey and comfortable with only the very near and dear ones, and then we had gone to Russia to celebrate with our family and they had been ecstatic.

The previous year we had celebrated with all our friends, at Adrian and Sydney's place. This year we had decided to keep it small, Christian, Lissa, Roza, her parents and I were to celebrate.

It was planned that we, the four of us would be joined by Abe and Janine later on the Christmas day.

Rose had never been the one to go all big on decorations, and neither had she expected me to do anything of the sort, it had always been cookies and cakes and gifts and helping Lissa for her, and her happiness for me. Her smiles were enough to light up my days.

Deciding to surprise her, I had decorated our apartment in a matter of hours, beginning just after she had left for her shift. It was Christian who, wanting to do something for Lissa, had come up with the idea to bake things, apparently he had been planning for quite a while and had made sure that Lissa would be too busy that evening, decorating their apartment with Rose.

"Would you please turn off the lights as you leave?"

I asked Christian, setting the last basket on the kitchen counter.

We had made around twelve small baskets full of cookies, cakes, an assortment of chocolates, buns of various sizes and shapes etc, to gift others.

"Sure."

He replied.

Reaching for the door, he turned around, bid an awkward goodbye, with a full blown smile, switched off the light and left.

I settled myself on the couch, waiting for Roza to arrive. The black-out curtains had been pulled, lights had been switched off, and it was pitch black.

When I heard her outside the door, I stood up too excited to see her reaction.

She opened the door, letting some light in and stood there, I was expecting her to speak or exclaim, but when she didn't, I casually walked to stand beside her, she didn't notice, wondering what was going on in her mind, I casually wrapped my arms around her waist.

This seemed to surprise her, it was as if I had brought her out of some reverie.

"Why is it so dark comrade, working on night vision are we?"

She said, trying to mask her feelings with false bravado. Something, I sensed was wrong.

Turning her towards me, I hugged her tightly wishing for her to realise that she wasn't alone and she didn't need to be afraid, I was and would always be there to help, support and protect her. She came first.

"It'll be all right."

Was all I could say, hoping that she'd understand the meaning of it.

"You'll feel better soon. Close your eyes and don't open them until I say."

I added, leaving her for a moment to switch on the light, and then returned to find her standing there with her eyes closed.She looked beautiful.

Placing a light kiss on her forehead, I asked her to open her eyes.

" This is ours?"

Was all that she said, standing there staring at the decorated room. I couldn't gauge her reaction, she looked melancholic, it wasn't quite the reaction I had expected I had expected a huge smile, perhaps a loud squeal, her hugging me, I had imagined her to say something witty, like, ' _Awwww comrades, you are such a sap'_ or something of the sort.

I wondered if I had offended her in any way or brought back some sad old memory. I could help as the words slipped out.

"You don't like it."

Hearing my words, she turned to look at me, and smiled in the slightest.

It was her choice to like or dislike what she saw, I was only trying to surprise her, I didn't want her to feel compelled, or to pretend. I decided that I would simply try harder to work on it the next time and make up for this failure.

But in a matter of seconds she dragged me to the couch,pulling me by my hands, discarded her shoes hurriedly, and stood on the couch gaining some height over me, looped her hands around my neck pulling me closer to her and leaned down, planting a light kiss on my lips, I couldn't believe it.

Did it mean that she liked her surprise?

Did it mean that I hadn't offended her?

Did it mean that she was happy?

Probably yes, and just thinking about it something in me came back to life as I returned her kiss with much fervour, but all to soon she broke away.

She pulled my hair tie and lightly fisted her hands in my hair, demanding me to look up, and when I did, the spark in her eyes reminded me of the reason for which I had fallen for her in the first place.

"No, I didn't like it, I loved it, and I am in awe, awe of you Belicov , your capabilities, your fierceness and your care, your love and your handsome face."

She said, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, the glint that I so loved.

It were these words that caused me to thank the stars, for she was mine and I, hers, this life with her was a dream come true for me.

I couldn't hold back my joy as it manifested in the form of a smile, on my face, as the realization dawned upon me.

My lips captured hers in a sweet kiss and all I could think of was how I'd never let any harm come to her, my precious beautiful Roza!

-o-

My sincere apologies for the delay caused. The Christmas day is to blame, I just got carried away, a little too much in the festivities , but it was fun.

This isn't the end, so hold on.

Hope you enjoyed the Christmas day as well!

Merry belated Christmas!

And, a very very happy new year!

In advance!

Have an amazing time ahead!


	23. chap23-unexpected Christmas 3

The beeping of the alarm woke me up. It was the one I had set for the training hours, but I soon realized that we were on leave for Christmas, which was tomorrow.

Given the fact that I was already awake and had nothing to do, I decided to treat my beloved with a healthy breakfast, and not so healthy doughnuts.

Making everything ready, I carried the tray to my room, placing it on the bedside table. It was time to wake her up!

I went and lay beside her, holding her, not having the heart to disturb her.

Roza stirred in my arms drawing my attention to her sleeping form. She looked calm, peaceful and happy, the evident smile on her face being the proof of her joy. I could look at her for hours and not tire, I wondered how I had become so lucky to have her for my невеста, the term itself seemed so endearing, one of the various things that I had never let myself think about, never a relation that I would have seen myself in, but here I was, living one of the most unthinkable moments.

Various events flashed through my mind great, good, nice, bad, worse or worst whichever it be Roza had been a constant through many, grounding me, keeping me sane, supporting me, encouraging me.

I hadn't realized the effect this moment had on me until, a stray tear betrayed me and landed on Roza's cheek, worshipping her, but I was quick to wipe it away so as she wouldn't notice.

She continued to sleep until her stomach grumbled and I couldn't help but smile at the thought of having her needs covered. It was oddly satisfying to be in her company, see her laugh, to see her eat, and joke around the place, it was amazing to know that she had this bubbly self that masked the lethal warrior self of hers, I lacked words to describe the amazing woman that she was.

The sound of her stomach grumbling a second time, woke her up.

' _Behold, the goddess awakens.'_

Supplied my mind,describing her accurately, a goddess she was!

"It seems that I need to feed my woman."

I said, reaching for the readied breakfast and placing it in front of her.

The smile that graced her glowing face made my day, describing the worth of my actions, they were all worth it, nothing was as precious as her.

She soon returned after cleaning up and we had the breakfast together, she seemed almost giddy with excitement and I wondered what the reason was.

Once done with the breakfast, we cuddled, talking about various things, the decorations, the festivities, her thoughts, the breakfast, the cakes and cookies, her chances of getting her hands on them and various others.

Running out of topics we lay in companiable silence, as my mind once again travelled to places that I had prevented it from going, oddly I didn't do anything to distract myself ,or to make me forget, being at peace with the present, I longed for closure, and let his memories wash over me, and this time it brought me joy to think about him, to cherish his memories and remember the great days we had had together.

I recalled that one time he had convinced me to partake in a prank with him.

His reaction to finding out that I had a crush on Svetlana.

Him tasting mama's black bread for the first time.

His surprise when mama had hugged us both calling us her sons, and his ecstasy following it.

His giddiness after having met Diana for the first time.

I wondered what he would have to say to the present me, because I had changed, changed a lot.

It was great to remember him and not be sad, it was easy and I decided that from now onwards I would cherish my friend and his memories, he deserved it and a lot more than that.

The moment was brought to an end by a small groan from Roza's part.

"Ahhgg!"

She exclaimed sucking in a breath, an act to control the intensity of pain and to ease oneself.

It shocked me, because all of it made her react in the way that she did. We had been trained, our tolerance greater than that of others, which also meant that it required us more to elicit a reaction.

"Roza...! Roza!.. ... What happened?.. Rose?"

I asked panicked, but she didn't reply, only curled up on the bed clutching her stomach.

"Rose, please say something... Rose!"

I asked confused, afraid, helpless as she writhed in pain.

"It was nothing. I am... fine."

She croaked, breathing heavily, it appeared as if the pain had subsided momentarily.

She tried to pretend that everything was fine, but I was having none of it, something was wrong, it wasn't so common for a damphir to fall ill.

It was moments later that her face became blank and I couldn't help but counter her words.

"No you're not."

Snuggling with her I wrapped her in a loose embrace and called Carina.

Arriving shortly Caring stated that Roza was suffering from a stomach bug.

"Carina, damphirs don't really fall sick that easily."

Rose whined

"No, they don't, but its not unheard of."

Carina stated sincerely.

"Let's hunt for the cause now shall we, Rose."

She added, continuing to examine her.

"When was the last time you had eaten?" she asked.

"Yesterday morning. "

Roza replied and my head snapped up. I was shocked to hear her reply.

"What had you eaten? and from where? "

She continued.

"A couple of donuts, some chips, fried bacon and a chocolate milkshake, from the canteen ."

She replied, guilt written clearly all over her face. I really wasn't taking good care of her, I hadn't taken Rose to be the one to miss her food, but here I was, proven wrong.

Voicing her concern, Carina handed me Roza's prescription and continued to chide Rose.

"You shouldn't really do that to yourself Rose, I wouldn't have taken you for being so careless, but what shocks me is that these facts aren't enough to justify your sickness. Here's the prescription for the required medicines and you should recover in no time but until then I would advise you to avoid junk food and suggest to go on light food. "

She stated kindly but firmly, Carina was really very good at her job,but somehow I couldn't really relax this time she wasn't telling us the whole thing.

When I followed her to the exit, she expressed her concern to me.

" I didn't tell anything there thinking that it would worry her, but something is wrong Dimitri, I've taken the sample of her blood and would like to test it, since the situation is not very..."

She was saying but stopped, looking up at my stoic face , stared at me and continued soon.

" I think this was an intentional attack on Rose that was kind of evaded because of her damphir genes, but I'm not sure, I'll like to confirm my doubt and let you know. "

She concluded sympathetically before leaving.

" Dimitri. "

Came her melodious voice from her room,grabbing a glass of fruit juice I headed to care for her.

 _'Somebody tried to harm Roza and I couldn't help her, I wasn't there to protect and now I don't even know what is happening to her.'_

My mind raced with various possible reasons and results, had they succeeded, it was simply too disheartening.

I'd be a body without soul in her absence. She was my world, my all and now in danger.

Entering her room, I found her staring at me with a small pout on her face.

I could practically hear her thinking,

' _what's that for?'_

"Until the vacation ends, I'll be taking care of your eating habits."

I stated simply, hiding the whirling emotions within me.

"In other words, you'd be babysitting me the entire vacation."

She said grumpily.

She was a grown up woman, but she was my woman and now I'd do anything to comfort her and keep her safe, it was my responsibility.

I wanted her to know everything but this wasn't the time.

" Milaya... "

I began trying to convey all my emotions, except for the worries.

"I know that you can take care of yourself and that you're a grown up, an amazing woman but doing this helps me cope with the situation, helps me realize that I am not completely useless... "

She surprised me by swiftly standing on the bed and heading to me, towering over me and whispering.

" Dare not say that you are useless, Dimitri, never. "

Her words sent a shiver down my spine but the look in her eyes comforted me to no end.

This was the second time in two days that I had found her in this position, and couldn't help but smile, questioning her.

" Looks like you enjoy towering over me, don't you Roza? "

"Thanks for everything Roza."

I added, and wrapped her in a tender hug, savouring her touch and the very moment.

With her in my arms I felt complete and at peace, but the thought that someone had tried to harm her, caused my determination to strengthen, this person was to be dealt with soon, if that had actually been the case.

The rest of the day, Carina called several times asking about Rose, and as the night fell, her condition deteriorated.

She developed a fever and soon began the vomitings, she could hardly keep anything down and Carina had to be brought in very soon yet again.

Cornering me, Caring informed.

"She is suffering from poisoning, she has atropine, scopolamine and hyoscyamine, in her body, somebody has tried to poison her with Belladona.

Rashes have developed on her neck and she has had trouble breathing the entire day. I couldn't be more sure. "

She concluded.

That night when she fell asleep, I called him.

 ** _Carina's place:_**

" Hey doctor, how and where have you been?"

Asked guardian Morkle.

"Fine,just checking up on a patient."

She replied briefly.

"Miss Hathaway?"

He prodded.

"Yup."

She added.

"How is she doing?"

"She is recovering well, just a stomach bug, nothing else."

She lied efficiently. Something about him had always irked her.

"How do you know about her?"

She asked in turn.

"Just rumours here and there."

He stated hurrying away.

-o-

невеста- fiancée/bride

So this one ends here. The last part would be up on Sunday. Hope you are enjoying the read, and be sure to let me know how you feel about the chapter.

Until then, I hope you have an amazing time wherever you are!

-Katnipsc ;)


	24. chap 24—Unexpected Christmas - 4

"Hello son."

He answered cheerfully from the other side.

A seconds pause from my side and he guessed that something was wrong.

"Its about her?"

He inquired.

"We need to meet, now. Are you on the court grounds ?"

I asked.

"Yes, at my residence. "

And before he could finish his words, I had hung up and was on my way. This had to be set right.

Rapping on the door loudly, once, twice, I hoped that I hadn't interrupted their moment.

Seconds later, she opened the door, yawning, but seeing me, she snapped to attention.

"Is Rose alright?" she questioned.

"Carina mentioned that she would be sleeping."

"She is, for now, but I need to check on some things , would you please,..."

I was requesting when her pointed look shut me up.

"You can go, I'll look after my sister, you don't need to request or inform me. I'll be here."

She stated sincerely.

Keeping her away while Rose had been ill, was hard but necessary,but now I had to take things into consideration and act to set them right, thus, giving a small smile and a thank you, I left Rose in the capable care of Lissa.

Minutes later I found myself sitting in an ornate library, with Abe, and his guardians, Pavel, Johnson and Nicole for company.

Abe rose his eyebrows, signal enough for me to launch into a description.

"Rose has been poisoned using belladona..."

My words hung in utter silence. And all too soon it was broken by the sound of shattering glass as Abe got up from his chair and threw the glass in his hand at the wall shattering it into various pieces.

"They or whoever it be, is to be found."

He said emphasizing each word very calmly, and Nicole and Johnson departed soon, wordlessly.

"I need to be there, I'll be with them."

I said trying to accompany them, but a hand on my shoulder stopped me. It was Pavel.

"Come with me" , he said.

He looked sad, but the clear eyes held fire no lesser than that of Abe's.

"Nicole and Johnson, will find the schedules of all guardians on court grounds, along with their area of duty, and would work to rule out the non potential threats, meanwhile we need to

get the security footages of the last few days, specially of places, where Rose had been. "

He stated sincerely, taking the very steps that had been going on in my mind.

" I have her schedule memorized. "

I added, to which Pavel only gave me a small genuine smile.

A call from Pavel and we gained access to all and any footage of court grounds .

Dividing the job, we searched through footages of places of twenty second and twenty third of December, of places Rose or Lissa or both had been, since it was highly possible that the attack had been meant for Lissa and , instead Rose had become the victim.

Nothing seemed out of place, it was all too smooth too common,for us to suspect anything.

We rechecked the footages after exchanging our lot and compiled a series of probable incidents, that could have led to the current situation .

"There are over four hundred guardians present at the court, of which three hundred and fifty two are employed here, the rest are visiting with their charges."

Stated Nicole.

"On the twenty second three hundred and thirty seven of the court guardians were on duty, thirty assigned to her majesty and the king consort. Eighty five in the palace.Twenty five on ward patrol, fifteen on secondary patrols and rest on various assignments, duties and individual guarding. "

Added Johnson.

" On the twenty third, two hundred and eighty seven guardians were on duty, twenty eight assigned to her majesty and the king consort, eighty in the palace, twenty three on patrol duty, fifteen on secondary patrols and the rest on individual duties and other activities.. "

" Of these we have narrowed down the list to that of fifty two guardians, who would have crossed paths with or might possess a threat to Rose. "

Both the guardians spoke in turns.

" We've compiled a list of incidents that we suspect and we can find the common ones. "

I stated, already on the job.

An hour and a half had passed and despite finding out the common suspects, we couldn't find any evidence of the attack.

Abe was growing restless with every passing hour, as was I, it made me feel helpless and useless, but this wasn't a time to give up, the culprit had to be found.

"We weren't aware of who we were looking for, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Said Johnson, as everyone glared at her.

' _Patience is the key to success!'_

 _'I have to be patient.'_

I chanted in my mind to keep myself calm.

And then it struck.

We were looking for a who and not a what, if we could probably find the medium through which Rose had been poisoned, it could lead us to the one we had so desperately been hunting for.

"Hello, Dimitri."

She said, picking up the phone on the second ring.

"Carina , could you possibly state the medium or part of the plant Rose has been poisoned with?"

"It was the berries, I'm sure, since the roots are too poisonous and not that the plant can be found here easily", she sighed.

"It had to be through food thus the poisoning, direct or as a component of something."

She stated and before I could hang up she add,

"And you need to be better at keeping secrets, rumours are spreading about the Queen's head guardian being sick, not healthy for court politics, I would say."

"Nobody knows. Apart from you and me, only Lissa and Christian are aware, not even the guardians are in the loop."

I stated.

"I seriously doubt you, since guardian Morkle was enquiring about it, when I returned home. He was supposedly patrolling the area."

She snapped,( and hung up) at being countered, a trait common in most alchemists.

The information irked me.

"We missed something."

I said answering the confusion of everyone in the room..

Replaying the footages of both the day I realized the mistake that we had make.

"We need Guardian Morkle."

I stated.

Every one hurried as we headed into different directions,trying to be as inconspicious as possible, according to the schedule the poor man was on ward duty.

Nicole saw him first, holding her ground she informed us of his whereabouts.

" Found him, Northeast corner, beside the lake, is in hurry, heading towards the edge of the wards."

Her voice rang in our headsets.

Locating him, we were in for a surprise when we found, not only him, but also a conspirator.

Our ambush surprised them, as their words remained incomplete and fear shone clearly on their face, for they has lost any and all chances of escaping, the world would soon forget of their existence.

Two hours into the mission and the culprits had been captured.

Guardian Morkle had put up a fight despite knowing that he couldn't win, but by some unsaid pact, I was the only one who engaged as well as dispatched him.

The other conspirator, had been somebody unexpected, Edward Dashkov, the nephew of Victor Dashkov.

Daniel Morkle was being stubborn, not giving up any information so, Abe decided to handle him in his own way, as I dealt with Edward.

The moroi had a weaker resolve, a few threats and a punch were all that caused him to spill the secret and it turned out that he was the mastermind to have orchestered the attack.

What worried me more, as well as relieved me, was the fact that it had been aimed at Rose, and not the Queen.

"She killed my dearest sister,... she killed uncle Victor... , she caused Tatiana's death, uncle Robert became unstable because of her,... That piece of crap needs to die, she is nothing but trouble... She...doesn't des... "

He was screaming as my fist connected with his face, spilling more blood from his mouth and causing a crunch, which was music to my ears, as he was rendered unconscious.

" I killed Natalie, not Rose. "

I screamed, finally letting the anger that had been bottled up, surface.

Four hours into the mission, after a gruelling interrogation,and peicing the evidence together, we had the entire order of occurrence of the events, the only thing we were unaware of was Daniel's motivation and gain, from the task.

"...so how do you even happen to have a grudge against Rose? She has had no effect on your life, she is innocent, she is not connected to you.. She is good at heart..."

Abe was saying, when he mumbled something and started laughing.

"Didn't affect my life... Hahahahahaha... She affected me and my life the most..."

"She didn't.. Couldn't ... how is that even possible?".

Abe countered.

"She not only sent my father to jail, but also killed him. She killed my father, Victor, Victor Dashkov."

He stated.

On the morning of twenty third, he had bumped into Rose in the canteen and exchanged one of her blueberry donuts with his blueberry and belladonna ones. Her damphir genes were what saved her. Had she been a human, she would have been no more.

Daniel had been following Rose for a few days, keeping tabs on her and Lissa from a distance, Edward had been the one to provide him access to various parts of court and arrange for various resources to put the plan in action. Their hatred towards Rose had got them working towards a common goal.

Abe had nonetheless been furious, not only with their attempt on Rose's life but also their words.

As the vampiric morning was about to begin, Abe asked me to return to my Roza.

"Son, go to her, I'll handle it from here."

He said, the smile on his face was malicious enough to signify the terrible fate that awaited Edward and Daniel.

"And Dimitri,... Merry Christmas in advance."

He added before returning to his residence where the conspirators had been imprisoned.

-o-

Returning home, I found Lissa asleep on a chair beside Roza's bed, while Christian sat at the foot of her bed, awake, noticing my arrival, he smiled and poked Lissa waking her up, soon they left to rest as I went and sat on the chair Lissa had been sitting on, I held one of her hands between both of mine and watches her sleep.

A small smile made its way on my face as I rejoiced the fact that the danger was gone for good and flower was safe.

When I opened my eyes next, it was 11 pm. I had fallen asleep holding her hands and my head currently rested on the side of her pillow, the events of earlier that morn flooded my mind and I couldn't help but be relieved.

Getting all cleaned up and ready for the day, I headed to the hall, to find Lissa and Christian awake and cuddling on the couch.

"Merry Christmas!"

I wished them.

"Merry Christmas!"

They replied in unison.

When done with the breakfast, I decided to wake Rose up.

Every thing was fine and good for the moment, but the thought nagged at the back of my mind that eventually I'd have to inform her about all of this so that she could be careful about it in the near future.

"Merry Christmas milaya!"

I crooned in her ears, deciding to remain in this bubble of joy for a while more!

-O-

I kept my promise, so here the chapter is.

 _That's all for today folks and that's the end of Unexpected Christmas!_

 _I hope you enjoyed it._

 _I thank all of you for all support and would really love to hear from you._

 _Any suggestions for further one shots are welcome, if you have an idea, do share, and I'll try to turn it into a piece._

 _Has anyone watched the pride and prejudice and zombies?_

 _I watched it yesterday and I have to say that I enjoyed it quite a lot. I love pride and prejudice, thanks to. Mr. Darcy, but even this adaptation was good. Sam Riley in here, gave me Dimitri like vibes. If you haven't seen it, watch it and if you've already seen it, please tell me if you feel the same way!_

 _Have a great day!_

 _Until the next time!_

 _-Katnipsc :)_


	25. chap 25-Reactions!

When Rose and Dimitri had come out as a couple at the court, people had had mixed reactions.

Lissa had been happy for her badass Guardian friends, and had gone as far as to throw them a small party, inviting only their near and dear ones.

She had been secretive about it, enough so that even Dimitri had simply gained the intel only a few hours prior to the event, or so he pretended.

Rose had still been under recovery from her injury, but that had not stopped her from pulling Dimitri to the center of the dance floor when a slow song had been played. It wasn't the song she would love to dance to, but it had been perfect for the moment as they had lazily glided from side to side, dressed in casual tees and pajama bottoms.

She hadn't been allowed to drink at the party, all credits went to the giant Russian who kept a watchful eye on his lady, but no one knew how to push Dimitri in the way she did, so when the party had come to an end and every one had graciously left, to let them be, Rose had challenged Dimitri. The poor man ended up with a mild hangover the next day much to Christian's surprise, afterall even he considered Dimitri, a god.

Abe and Janine had known about Rose and Dimitri before hand , but when the knowledge became public, either of them were often seen walking and strolling alongside Dimitri, almost every day, any time, for atleast two weeks, deep in conversation about only they knew what.

Guardian Mikhael was amused with the situation. It was almost comical to him. He wondered how people had been too blind to notice the apparent, almost radiant love between Rose and Dimitri. Being in the same room with them, sometimes made him feel as if he was interrupting something private, whereas some people here were utterly surprised, to say the least.

Adrian had feared that this would happen but was happy to be away from court at the time. He was angry and disappointed for having been cheated, but somewhere deep in his heart where he couldn't yet focus, he was relieved and happy to see his 'little damphir' make it up with the 'cradle robber' .

Eddie was shocked to say the least. He had witnessed Rose's love for Guardian Belikov, but somehow didn't expect him to reciprocate, but when he had, Eddie had been stunned. When the Guardians declared themselves a couple, he had been on duty, Guarding a hall at the court, and mirth had danced in his eyes as the moroi had looked scandalised.

Christian had smirked when Dimitri appeared uncomfortable at Rose's bold move to hold hands in front of their friends and family, for the first time, but it had turned into a genuine smile when the stoic Guardian had brought her hands upto his lips and kissed it gently, offering her a sweet smile.

Jonathan Conta, a reputed member of the Conta royal family had been vocal about his dislike for the relationship between the two damphirs . According to him the sole aim and cause of a damphirs life was to guard and protect Moroi at all costs.He had effectively been quitened when the queen had gone on to state that the members of the royal guard were very devoted to their duty and all that happened in their personal life wasn't a matter up for anyone's discussion or judgement.

Elizabeth Ivashkov, was a mere fourteen year old moroi, she didn't know how she felt about her charming uncle Adrian, but she adored his Guardian friend and her long brown hair, for Eliza's was a dirty blonde in appearance . The day when the queen had announced the members of her royal guard, a name had been put to the beautiful face, Guardian Hathaway. Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway. And when Elizabeth had found out that she had a boyfriend, she had become very excited to meet both of them. Little did she know that her wish would be fulfilled very soon. That evening she had run into the pair, strolling in the gardens at the back of the court, where she had gone to adore the yellow Roses that had been added at her majesty's request.

She had been surprised for a moment, as had been the Guardians, but before they could say anything, she had them in a firm embrace, they had been a bit hesitant, but politely, returned her hug as she went on congratulate them and greet them, wishing them a happy life and great time together.

The smile and 'thanks you', from Guardian Belikov had been the highlight of her day, where as, the hug that Guardian Hathaway had proceeded to give her after asking her name and greeting her, had been the cause of her smile throughout the week, it was then decided that she would always respect any and all Guardians for their work and loyalty .

Alberto Badica had been working and pushing for measures to ensure damphir welfare, for years, when the members of royal guard had been backed by the queen, for their relationship,he saw hope after a long time while thinking of ways in which he could use the news to his advantage and gain something that would benefit the damphirs in future.

Lana Popov, had been the assistant to Priscilla Voda, but after her sad demise, she (Lana) had been given a desk job at the courts office. She had expected herself to be surprised or aghast or furious, she had wanted to have as extreme a reaction to talk about as others, but when the news had broken, she hadn't been surprised, instead had found herself nodding her head in acceptance, it was later she realized that, she had accepted the fact that anything related to Dimitri Belikov wouldn't be common, the day she had seen the (senior) damphir combat in the annual championship and win, besides being witness to the fact that he excelled in the academics, for her own classmates had been working to break or challenge his records, he was the best of the best, St Basils had ever produced.

Even Rose and Dimitri, themselves had been astonished at the whiplash reactions their declaration recieved.

Some gifted them tokens, some hugged them, encouraging them to stand for what they had, greeted them and wished for their well being.

Whereas there were people who openly voiced their hatred, disgust, went as far as writing letters to express their disdain and having it delivered to their doorstep.

What worked for Rose and Dimitri , more than anything, was their affection, love and loyalty towards each other which had emerged stronger through various tests in a short period of time.

But little did they know that one person had known about them all along, perhaps even before they had confessed about it to each other, and when she recieved the news, she had called Stan to her office, to collect her reward for she had won the bet.

-o-

Hello my dear readers, so with this chapter, my prolonged absence comes to an end. I hope that you like the update.

Do let me know of what you think and suggestions and promts are welcomed.

Thank you for the continued support.

To,

Autummn Leaves:I'm glad that you liked it.

The guest:Thank you! It was a great piece to work on indeed.

To remain up to date with my works, visit my facebook page at:

https m dot facebook dot com /Angiesloveforbooks /

Have an amazing time ahead!

-Katnipsc :)


	26. chap-26—a taste of sorrow!

Olena Belikov had a fair knowledge of how to treat wounds, lessen fever, help a mother with child or wrap a sprained limb.

She had the presence of mind to act quickly in case of an accident, for she was not new to this side of life, she had seen death, from the simplest and the quickest to the gruesome and painful ones.It was a part of her job description.

But when a dark haired girl with doe eyes came up to her house bearing the news that her baby boy was dead, she had a hard time believing her.

She couldn't figure out how as to soothe the ache gradually building up in her chest, nor how to fix the shattered heart of her baby girls who had just been told that they'd never see their beloved brother again.

She wasn't unknown to her son's stellar reputation. Never had she doubted his skill, she had seen what he could do when he had thrown Randall out of the house, and over the years his skills had only improved, his techniques developed , reflexes sharpened, so how could she believe that her boy was no more.

She hadn't come to terms with the news, when the girl had added that her son wasn't dead, he had joined the undead, thus the emotions which were always carefully under wraps, emerged to the surface, the motherly and humbling look crumbled, leaving behind a distressed appearance, she couldn't decide if she should laugh or cry, for the universe was playing a joke on her, one of her biggest fears had come to life and in the worst way possible.

She hadn't had the chance to bid him farewell, hadn't had the chance to comfort him one last time, she hadn't had the chance to see his face once before he was lost forever ,she hadn't been there to relieve him, to tell him that it would be okay, for once her mind cursed her, for she hadn't been there to prevent the terrible fate from befalling him.

She had feared for him since the day he had first started attending St. Basils, her fear had increased over years as she saw his potential, the more the potential, the more he would be valued, the more dangerous situations he would be placed in and more would be her chances of losing him.

She had celebrated with him and Ivan as the boys had graduated, she had been happy for both of them and their luck, but once they had left for the court she had spent half a morning sobbing in her apron for she didn't know if her boys were ever going to return.

She had lived a nightmare when Ivan had died. The boy was as dear to her as her Dimka and they had mourned for him and cherished his memories, it had been hard but they had moved on or atleast tried to.

Losing her baby boy was too great a loss to move on from anytime soon. It was too soon for him to be gone, to leave them,the news was heart wrenching and shocking, unreal even, specially when she had been expecting to hear from him that very morning, for he had promised to call them on Friday mornings for those were his mornings, off duty.

He didn't call regularly, but whenever he did it was on a Friday between six to eight thirty in the morning, as a result of which Olena couldn't help but brighten up every Friday morning hoping that it would be yet another day that she would get to know of his whereabouts and hear from him.

She was taken aback realizing that the last such call she had recieved from him was around two months ago and that would be the last of them ever.

Looking back at the memory she could still hear his affectionate voice greeting her, asking her about his sisters and babushka and their whereabouts, she still remembered the excitement in his voice as he told her about his Roza, she was happy for him, contented to know that he was living his life with a goal in his mind, overjoyed to see that her baby boy had finally found love and satisfied thinking that he was still alive,but no more.

To add to her ever growing agony, her mind conjured his smiling face from times when he had won the annual combats at the academy, had been informed that Ivan was to be his charge, brought her a new watch from his first paycheck for he despised her old 'boring' one.

She could clearly recall the day when his fouteen year self had baked an entire loaf of black bread only for her, in order to celebrate mother's day, the sole time he had ever been at home for the occasion, the other times, his gifts and tinkrets often just found their way to her.

Reality came crashing down upon her as she heard someone sob loudly, only to realise that it was none other than her own self, she hadn't even realized that her cheeks were wet and the tears just won't let them dry.

Trying to calm herself she remembered the pride that had shone in the eyes of her boy when she had praised him at the successful completion of his bloodmaster training, the look of peace that had settled on his face when he had hugged all his siblings before departing for his first ever assignment.

Her boy deserved more than petty tears, he was a warrior, a protector, a gentleman, who deserved to be honoured, remembered and cherished in the best way possible and at his best, this death was a mere hindrance, her boy deserved to live forever in tales and family stories for he had been a loyal son,respected and hardworking a Guardian, caring grandson, beloved brother, fierce protector and Olena was to make sure that the Belikovs remembered the best of him.

It wasn't a closure, it wasn't moving on but it was a thought that gave her enough strength to stop sobbing and form a proper thought in her mind, as she came up with the idea of the best way to honour her dead son, a memorial. She in no way was to believe that her baby boy was stuck being undead, lost to them and beyond anyones help, but something at the back of her mind still hoped that one day she'd get to see him again.

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 ** _*) Happy Mother's Day, to all the amazing mums out there!!_**

 ** _*) Please go and read 'Dark hearts' by megamorr, its and amazing ongoing story!_**

Hello people, this was just a sudden impromptu update, I'd be lying if I say I didn't cry while writing this chapter, it had gotten too far personal, and I had gotten carried away.

The results of my exams are to be declared tomorrow and despite everything I'm nervous, distractions aren't helping and as usual when I'm nervous and anxious, I overthink and it leads to a meltdown, which has been channeled in here.

Wish me luck!

I'd love to hear from you, I'm open to all requests, suggestions and constructive criticisms.

Have an amazing time ahead!

-Katnipsc ;)


	27. chap-27-hope?

"This is a cruel joke to play on one's family lad."

She said hanging up and placing the phone down aggressively in a very un-Olena like manner.

It was six o'clock in the morning and she had been in the kitchen for the past hour, trying to get the breakfast ready for the members of the family who would soon wake up, but the thoughts, and memories were now a great distraction.

A lot had happened in a very short period of time and she couldn't really comprehend all of it properly, the birth of Sonja's baby, Dimka's untimely demise, the fluctuating household economy, the persistent alchemists, her health and that of Yeva, all was on her mind, until the ringing of the landline interrupted her activities, providing her a momentary distraction.

Wiping her hands dry on her apron, she approached the table, wondering who could possibly have been calling that early, in the morning, and trying to remember if she had paid for the landline services that month.

"Hello ma'am, is this the Belikov residence?"

She heard a voice ask no sooner had she picked up the phone.

On recieving a reply in affirmative, the person on the other side, introduced himself as Guardian Tanner and proceeded to inform her that Guardian Belikov was on a vacation and that she should expect to hear from him soon.

It was enough to make Olena angry as she snapped, and rather rudely ended the conversation.

She already missed her baby boy more every day, and spent her nights crying, alone, away from all of her other children.

Her life had been hard but her children made everything worth it, so she tried to be strong for them. For Sonja, Karo, Vika and even Roza, but even she had her limits, the joke had been the last straw, as she dropped on the quilt covered couch with a sigh and stated into the oblivion with a heavy heart, and teary red eyes.

She had been very dissappointed with the way the things had ended when Rose had last been to Baia. She blamed herself for not being there for her son, she accused herself for never having appreciated her Dimka for what he was worth, she was angry with her own self for not having stopped Dimitri from being a guardian, yet none of it felt quite right and she never wanted to regret what she had done, for she knew her son loved what he did, and was among the best, but it had cost him his everything, even his life, his soul.

She felt conflicted, confused agitated, restless, she wasn't willing to acknowledge but she felt helpless even, and all of it together contributed to her ever growing guilt and misery.

Around fifty minutes later her eldest daughter went to the hall to get some water only to find her mother, disheveled and in distress, when she had asked her what was wrong and tried to soothe her, the older woman simply burst in tears and all Karolina could do was sit down and hug her mother tight trying to soothe her.

She had known this was coming, and knew that it was related to her brother but she never knew it would be like this, yet another hour later, Olena regained her composure and called the family, gathering them in the hall.

To others it would appear to be homey congregation , the way all were seated chatting and doing ordinary day to day chores.

Vika sat on the floor beside the couch as her neice played on the floor beside her.

Paul playing on the couch, Karo seated on the old sofa, folding the washed clothes.

Yeva rocking on her chair in the corner, pretending to be half asleep, Sonja, cooing at her baby, trying hard to hide her frown, whilst Olena stood at the table distributing plates of food, for breakfast, but the set of Olena's jaw and the tension in her stance spoke otherwise.

It had been years since she had last been to a gym, practiced or participated in combat, but the day had been one, that made Olena, wish to return and to beat the crap out of a punching bag. She had been trained but she gave up practicing, completely, once she graduated, for she believed that violence wasn't her way.

"I received a call early this morning telling me that Guardian Belikov was on vacation and we should be hearing from him sometime soon."

Her words were calmly spoken but with enough determination that everyone stopped all that they were doing, staring at her, confusion , shock , surprise and a variety of other emotions on display.

Surprisingly it was Sonja who gained control of her feeling and responded with the words Olena had been repeating again and again in her mind throughout the morning.

"This is not a matter to joke with. How dare they? Its absolutely ridiculous!"

The words that followed were a flurry of colorful terms but this time Olena didn't even bother to chide her offspring.

"Mama, we miss him too, but we need to move on. Dimka would have wanted us to. "

As much as it pained her to say the words, Olena knew Karo was right and her thoughts, rational.

"I informed you, so that you'll be aware and not upset, if you have to be at the receiving end of another such foul play in the near future."

Olena added sternly, glancing at her daughters, and was surprised to notice that Vika had been unnecessarily quite throughout the exchange.

Feeling her mother's gaze upon her, the daughters head snapped up as she stared right back with teary eyes , expressing her defiance.

Olena's expression softened as she took in her youngest girl's sorrowed expressions. She pitied her child for she had not only lost a sibling but also her idol, her confidant, she was about to voice her concern when the girl seemingly spoke up, expressing her thoughts loud and clear .

"Don't!"

She picked up her finger, stopping her sister mid stride, continuing to address their mother.

"Just don't you dare to pity me. I don't want any of it. What I want to know is WHY?

Why do you all pretend as if he's dead?

Why do you pretend that he's never going to return?

What... WHAT if this wasn't a joke? What if he's actually coming back?"

Her words voiced her desperation.

" Whay can't you just believe that it had been a mistake?

Or probably a misunderstanding of sorts and now Dimka is finally coming back."

She paused.

" Why won't you just let yourselves hope for the better ,instead of just resigning to your lot!

Don't you just want our Dimka back?

Why not just accept his return?

If he comes, why bother questioning his arrival when his presence would be more than enough, be he battered or broken or crippled, I just want my brother back!

I just want him back. "

She concluded, with her loud voice crackling , lowering to mere whispers as she began sobbing , trying to muffle the sound of it with her hands.

" There's no point hoping Vika, he's not coming back. Dimka's gone and forever. False hopes only hurt much in the long run, so its best to snuff it out in the beginning."

Sonja stated harshly after a few moments, her words even making Karo flinch, as she left the hall with a crying baby in her arms.

" Sonja you shouldn't hav-"

" Enough of this, don't you lot have anything to do other than bicker early in the morning?

Leave. All. Let me sleep."

Said an annoyed Yeva, interrupting Karo and participating for the first time, to bring the conversation to an end.

" I don't want to hear anything more on this topic. Off you all go. "

She said effectively shooing everybody else.

Only this time however hard she tried Olena couldn't help but wonder if what Vika said would have been true and all of it a misunderstanding, and she'd get to have her boy once again. She dared to hope that probably the call was no joke but a sincere message to help them prepare for the day to come.

But all she could do was wait, and watch anxious to know and hope for something better.

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 _ **The next update will be up, the day after tomorrow.**_

It was all supposed to be a gigantic piece but I decided to break it down so you can enjoy every moment.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, a two part continuation lies ahead, as per the much requested chapter.

Do let me know of what you think.

Anything else can also be suggested, as per your wish. :)

Thank you for the amazing feedback from the last chapter.

Until then have a great time ahead!

-Katnipsc :D


	28. chap-28-ray of sunshine!

"Be ready today, Olena!"

Yeva said smiling, holding the woman's gaze , as she put on her slippers and left for her morning stroll.

The old woman, Olena noticed had been quite pleasant these days, specifically after the outburst the family had had the morning of the supposed foul prank.

Being used to her mothers antics, Olena continued with her chores , choosing to ignore Yeva's words.

All the girls were home today, even Karo and Sonja, Karo had taken a leave whereas Sonja was on one, while Vika was on vacation from the academy.

The day to day activities involving all family members were somber affairs where all tried their best to maintain a sense of normalcy, but something always seemed off.

Vika almost didn't speak to anyone unless it was Paul or Katya, Karo pretended to be normal, whereas Sonja kept having meltdowns at random intervals .

Yeva returned home , after three hours, much later than her usual time. Olena could only stare at the older woman, as she quietly made her way to her rocking chair, discarding her slippers for the ones she wore at home, settled in and began rocking back and forth lazily.

"I asked everyone in the town to stop by tomorrow in the morning."

She promted much later.

To Olena's surprise, it was Vika who spoke Olena's mind.

"But why Babushka, is there something that we need to tell them, anything to show?"

"Not yet, but we will have something soon."

The ancient woman replied with that wise aura of hers showing through, as she stood up slowly and headed towards her room, calling behind, " Olena, be a dear and bring my breakfast up to my room, will you?"

Anxiety had been picking at Olena all morning, Yeva's behaviour had not made things any easier , she feared that her mother was finally losing it, the loss of her beloved grandson, had probably taken a much greater toll on the older woman's mind than she let on.

Dusting, cleaning, arranging things, and making them appear orderly had always calmed Olena's mind helping her think straight, thus after completing all her days jobs she took to dusting and arranging all rooms in the house.

By four thirty in the afternoon, she had nothing to do, by four fourty five, she became restless again, and thus went to Dimka's room, to look at his things hoping to feel close to him just once again.

At four fifty five, she stood at his room's window with his photo clutched in her hand as she stared at the yard.

Moments later a car came into view, it was a familiar one, one borrowed from the agencies, for travelling, the name of the agency on one of its sides, the car stopped at a small distance from the front yard of the house, minutes passed and nothing happened making Olena wary, but the sight of person that steped out from the car seconds later made the blood freeze in her veins.

She ran down the stairs, wondering if she should warn others to run or run towards him. Vika sat on the couch , playing with Katya, as Olena made her uncalled entrance. Following her mother's gaze and teary smile she ran out the door without a second thought.

Olena stood at the door shocked watching the scene unfold in front of her eyes, she was terrified expecting that in a moment the monster would show itself and tear Vika's head from her body and she'd lose yet another child.

But she was wrong.

The man also appeared to be surprised , stunned, as the girl, his youngest sister welcomed him so enthusiastically with open arms and a warm smile.

It wasn't until Vika hugged Rose that Olena noticed her presence, the girl had been standing back, trying to let Dimitri have a moment of reunion with his family.

When Karo and Sonja ran down the stairs, Olena realized that Vika had grandly announced the return of her brother as the other siblings hurriedly made their way, to greet their brother .

The sight almost comical, made Olena smile. Somethings never changed, it was still like the day Dimitri had returned after completing his Blood master training and all his siblings had hugged him, tackling him down in the yard itself , the poor boy hadn't even had the chance to step in the house, for they had all been very worried about him.

The reunion of her children was a heart warming sight for Olena, forgotten was her fear,her sorrow as she saw her boy hugging his sisters fiercely, he was smiling like the young man he was, his eyes still teary, the group broke up unwillingly, yet stayed close enough, only to accommodate Olena in the homecoming.

The lingering rays of the sun made his brown eyes look warmer. He had the same smile, the same insane height, the longer than usual hair, the tiny scar beside his ear, and emotions swirling in his gaze. She knew exactly what he needed. It was him. Her son. Dimitri. He was back and he desperately needed her comfort, his eyes begged her to acknowledge the fact that he was no monster.

And she did exactly that, hugged him tightly, scolding , "Don't you ever scare us like that again.Its been so long", hit lightly on his arm, "why didn't you call? Do you have any idea how worried I was. Promise you won't ever do that again!"

Everyone Dimitri loved were shorter than him, and in order to hug them he had to slightly bend but today he did so gladly, smiling and answering, "Sorry, mama.. I didn't intend to do that, I'm sorry, it won't ever happened again, I missed all of you so much."

"How are you ?"

She questioned sincerely.

"Is there something you'd like to tell me about?"

she asked wiggling her eyebrows, signalling towards Rose and winking.

"I have to thank my daughter for keeping her promise." she added.

"I am so happy to have you back my son." she voiced, as her mind added, _'Hadn't thought I'd ever get to see you like this again.'_

"I'm glad to be back mama, I'm glad for my life.."

He replied somberly.

Olena took little notice of the fact that she had been crying during the exchange, so reigning her emotions in, she smiled, truly smiled after days, for the cause of melancholy was no more.

Noticing a silently crying Rose in the background, Olena hurried up to her and hugged her just the way she had embraced her son, she was so glad to have whole of her family back, safe and happy.

Signalling all of them, she emabraced all of her children at once and the gesture eased the tight knot in her chest.

Realizing that they had all been conversing in Russian, and keeping Roza in the dark, she spared an indulgent smile towards her son who was watching them calmly , and said, "I love my new daughter",and quickly switched to English, " Come in, come in. Let's sit down and talk."

All the children agreed, and Vika joked about the fascination Paul had about his uncle, for the boy had heard a lot about him, but not known him, and now that he had the opportunity, he was openly staring at him mouth agape.

She noticed her son's shoulder sag in relief as he took in the familiar surrounding of his house and his eyes roamed over every inch of the house that he had grown up in, that he had been away from and he wasn't even a bit disappointed with what he saw. And the acceptance made Olena smile, she noticed his eyes dart towards her, as she met his gaze, he simply looked at the youngest baby in the bassinet and then at her.

In reply Olena's eyes simply flicked towards Sonja, his jaws tensed as he fought for ontrol and simply sat down on the couch, with his Guardian mask on and Olena knew that he'd be beating himself up on the inside, he visibly relaxed as Sonja and Karo flanked him on the couch as Vika sat on the ground by the couch, beside his feet , while Rose, stood behind watching them smiling kindly, as was Olena, in a long time she felt true happiness again.

It was when Dimitri started conversing normally with Karo and Sonja, that Olena knew that he had gladly accepted the new member of the family as his own.

"Tell me what you'd like to eat, you must be hungry?"

Olena questioned, but all her children were too excited and politely declined the offers continuing to quiz each other on all that they had seemingly missed.

The girls just held onto their brother in a way or another and Olena knew they feared just like her, feared that it was a dream and they'd lose their brother all over again , so they held on to him.

Karo had his arm in hers, Sonja held onto a part of the duster Dimitri wore, while Vika, rested her head on his knee.

The scene in front of her was enough to make her cry. She couldn't believe it, it was a miracle, a wish come true and she was glad for it.

Making her way to another of the chairs Olena dropped onto a one, sitting directly opposite to her son, clasped her hands together and talked to him, answered his questions, sometimes just listened, for when Dimitri had arrived, she had been too ecstatic, too confused to have heard a word her children exchanged, thus she soaked in every detail that was offered, she observed his appearance and any changes and let it all sink in, tried to preserve the moment and basked in the joy of the moment for all that she cared about was the fact that her son was fine, alive, in front of her and the same. A fact she couldn't help but have him confirm again and again .

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 _Hello people, as promised, here is the next update! Do let me know of what you think!_

 ** _The next update will be on Friday._**

 _And if you would, please share the name of your favorite book, I'm looking for some amazing reads for my vacation!_

 _Thanks for reading and have a great time ahead!_

-Katnipsc :)


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